Warmth
by Mistrelia of the Ice
Summary: Kyoya has always cast a cold glance towards anyone who tried to get close to him, but when he meets a lovely young flower shop owner will she be able to melt the ice within? Kyoya/O.C. Mori/O.C. Tamaki/Haruhi
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi there! For all those waiting for **_**Cupid's Arrival**_** the next chapter will be up soon, promise. I had gotten the idea for this story late at night when the wind was blowing hard and it was very cold outside. All of the characters I've ever written love the cold so I mixed it up a little and created a new kind of character. I figured Kyoya needs warmth to melt the cold.**_

**Mistrelia of the Ice doesn't own Ouran High School Host Club, but oh, if she did *evil smile***

*Note" If you like this story check out 'Damn You Rich People' by AerisxArtemis. Hell, even if you don't like this, check it out. Also, this chapter comes with a song. You don't have to listen to it but if you want to look up Nil Se'n La by Celtic Woman.*

* * *

"MOMMY!"

A young man with dark hair and glasses inwardly sighed. Running towards him with shining tears in his eyes was a young blonde man. He sidestepped, causing the boy to run past him, almost into the window.

The boy quickly whirled around, "It's terrible! Absolutely dreadful!"

He pushed his glasses further atop his nose, "What is it now, Tamaki?"

Tamaki quickly got close to the boy, "You know that new lavender tea the twins recommended to the Host Club?"

"Yes, the ladies seem to enjoy it."

"No, no, no," he cried, "I have just learned that Haruhi Dear doesn't like it! Kyoya, you have to fix it! I knew I shouldn't have entrusted such an important detail to them," he muttered darkly.

Kyoya very nearly rolled his eyes but reconsidered. The tea the twins suggested was actually much more expensive than need be for a daily basis. Perhaps it would be wise to look for a replacement. After all, Haruhi had introduced them to instant coffee and it had been a huge success, not to mention saved them quite a bundle, "Does Haruhi have any ideas for a replacement?"

Tamaki immediately brightened, "Good idea! That way she'll pick a tea she does like! Oh, Haruhi!" he yelled happily.

Watching him go, he shook his head. What Haruhi saw in that over-sized blonde puppy he never knew. He quickly made a note in his notebook about the tea problem.

Honey shivered and blew on his hands, "It's so cold outside!"

The twins looked at the sky, "It's barely fall," they said in unison.

"So?" he whined. To his surprise he felt himself being lifted off of his faithful friend, "Takashi?"

Mori set him down, "It's good to move to warm yourself up."

Haruhi looked at the taller boy with surprise. She tried to remember the last time he had said so many words at once."

"Haruhi Dear!"

She sighed wistfully. Tamaki stood waving by a limo, the door open. She had long ago since given up refusing his constant offers of a ride home. For a moment she felt she could welcome it considering the chilly wind. She saw the twins enter into a limo as well as Honey and Mori-senpai getting into a sleek black car. Before she took a step she noticed Kyoya still by the school doors, "Do you need a ride, Kyoya-senpai?"

He lifted his head from his notebook and was surprised to find most of his friends gone. He shook his head, "No need. I will be firing my driver for being late again."

Haruhi looked thoughtful a moment, "It's not my place to say, but you never know another person's situation. Try giving the benefit of the doubt."

Kyoya almost frowned but reconsidered, "You are not rich, but you have taught us that is not what to judge a person on. You can speak your opinions."

She shrugged a little annoyed_, 'Why does he always point out I'm not rich?'_, "Alright. Are you sure you don't want a ride?"

He shook his head, "I will try giving benefit, as you call it."

She gave him a little wave before running to the limo and then turned, "By the way, I don't really know any good teas that the Club Members would like, but my Father once suggested a place called 'Faye Flora' to me," she handed him a business card before walking away.

Once again, he was surprised someone so level-headed could stand Tamaki. He walked to the gates and was reminded why. For a split second as Haruhi reached the door, she shivered. In one swift motion Tamaki took his jacket off and wrapped it around her, for which she gave him the briefest of smiles. It was one Kyoya only saw her give when Tamaki did something mature. Needless to say, he didn't see it often. Tamaki returned the smile, causing Kyoya to turn his head. He, unlike the blonde, was able to recognize the moments two people needed alone.

He reached into his pocket and speed dialed his cell phone, "Yodori, where are you?" he nodded to the limo that drove past, Tamaki waving enthusiastically.

Another voice answered the phone, "Sorry little brother, my driver quit on me to go reclaim the love of his life or something so I will be using yours for a while. I'm sure you can find a replacement. _Ciao~"_

Kyoya snapped his phone shut, allowing himself to grind his teeth, as there was no one around. He opened his phone to call his back-up and was shocked to find it dead. He could have sworn he'd charged it earlier in the day. Thankfully, the wind was only blowing gently, causing nothing more than a slight chill. He hugged his jacket to himself and began to walk, mumbling curses the whole way.

After a few blocks he was relieved to see his building come into view. Before he could continue forward, a scruffy man in a large coat approached him, "Spare change?"

"No," he answered bluntly. He just wanted to get home and take a hot shower.

"I don't think you heard me," said the man as he pointed a gun, just visible enough for only Kyoya to see, "Got any spare change?"

Kyoya narrowed his eyes, "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

He walked towards Kyoya, backing him into an alley, "Doesn't matter. I know you're gonna be splattered all over this wall if you don't hand over all you got."

Kyoya caught a whiff of alcohol from the man and knew things were more serious than he thought, "I don't have any money."

The man lifted the gun, "I've seen little bastards like you walkin' outta that rich school. I suggest you don't make me ask again."

Kyoya felt his back hit the brick wall of the alley and tried to think, "I meant I don't have any money with me."

He cocked his gun, "Wrong answer kid."

Kyoya felt his heart pound but kept his face stoic and prepared his stance like Mori-senpai taught him, _'I'm not going down without a fight.'_

To his immediate shock a figure leapt from a roof, their foot slamming into the man's cheek. His gun flew into the air and the person caught it. He couldn't see their face due to the large black hoodie. The person also had on loose dark blue jeans and regular white sneakers. They quickly dropped the gun and kicked it away before giving the man a few hard kicks and blows.

Kyoya blinked, trying to get his thoughts in order. The man was on the ground yelling and swearing. The person in front of him had taken the lid from a nearby trashcan and slammed it as hard as they could on his head. The man was out cold, the person breathing heavily over him.

"I-"

The person turned and for a moment he thought he saw a flash of purple before the figure bolted out of the alleyway.

Kyoya quickly ran to the mouth of the alley and looked around. Whoever they were, they were gone. Rain was softly beginning to pour and he hurriedly ran the next three blocks to his home.

As he entered through the large living room he trudged up the stairs. He heard his brother call what sounded like an insincere apology and something about his clothing but chose not to listen. He entered his room and tossed his clothes in random directions before stepping into the hottest shower he could get. Kyoya stood for a moment, letting the water bring his frozen nerves back to life. After a few more minutes he turned the heat down, beginning to feel scalded. His mind replayed the events over and over, long after the water began to turn cold. Kyoya stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in his robe, exiting the steaming bathroom and walking into his room.

He felt himself shiver and put on the warmest pajamas he could find, _'They say when you have a near death experience your whole perspective changes. Why then, do I feel nothing?'_ he shook off the unbidden thought and buried himself under his blankets. The last thought he had was of the color purple.

* * *

"Kyoya-senpai?"

Kyoya did not look up from the notebook he was writing in, "Yes Haruhi?"

"Tamaki is with a client right now, but he wanted me to ask you if you have made any progress with the new tea, though I'm not sure why we're switching already. Didn't we just order this kind?"

He wrote a few more things down_ 'Tamaki did not tell Haruhi why we are looking for new tea. Look for new tea today.'_ Kyoya closed the notebook, "No, I had some business to take care of yesterday. I will look into it today," He realized with a mental start that he had forgotten to take a good look at the business card Haruhi had given him which was still in his pants somewhere on his floor, though with the routine check his maids did it was probably in the washer now. Part of his mind knew why he had become so careless but the other half felt it was inexcusable just because he had to stare down the barrel of a gun. He did not forgive lightly, even himself.

"Do you need another card?"

He looked up, eyebrows raised.

Haruhi laughed a little, "My Mom used to have that same look on her face when she forgot something. Here," she said handing him a new one.

As she walked away he made a mental note to increase her fee. The Club Members now had to pay the same amount to see her as they did Honey. He did not like showing his gratitude in public and felt this would be an easier 'thank you'. He directed his attention to the card. It was white with a large blue lily blooming on one side. The stem was dark green and swirled to create the words _Faye Flora~_. Printed underneath in bold black was the address and phone number. He felt a moment of surprise. The building was one block away from where the man had held him up and was not very far from the school. He could walk if he wanted to.

For a moment he felt like calling his driver after school anyway but shook his head. He didn't want to let one bad experience keep him from walking a simple two blocks.

Kyoya walked outside to find the sky a blanket of gray, the air colder than yesterday. Hikaru and Karou were shivering and hugging each other tightly, causing the passing students to squeal. He shook his head as he passed them and spoke low, "You're putting on a show."

Hikaru gave a conspirator's wink, "More of a sneak preview."

Tamaki and Haruhi walked by, Haruhi stopping, "Hey, Kyoya-senpai, did your driver ever make it?"

"No."

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Too bad," said Tamaki.

He gave his shoulders a slight shrug, "Though he did have a good reason as you said. He still has his job, but I have found a new driver."

She gave him a questioning look, "Do you want a ride with us, though?"

He shook his head, "I am fine."

"Alright," she answered and began to walk.

Tamaki looked a little forlorn, "Why does she always ask you if you need a ride?" he pouted.

Kyoya felt the corners of his mouth twitch, "She is a good soul, and cares for others deeply."

Tamaki continued to pout. Kyoya rolled his eyes, "She almost reminds me of my sister, and I feel she treats me as she would a brother. However, most of her attention is all yours."

He snapped his head towards Kyoya, eyes shining, "Really? You think so? Yay! Haruhi Dear, wait for me!"

He stared after them, wondering if the 'Prince' would ever figure it out.

* * *

Though the temperature was lower, there was no wind, allowing Kyoya to keep his jacket open as he walked. As he reached the building he observed it. It appeared to have two floors, was made of brick with crawling ivy on one side, and looked well kept. Attached to the side was a modest sized half-tube looking greenhouse; if he looked closely he could tell it was overflowing with foliage just due to the shadows. In the front on little stands were little pots with fake flowers as well as a large glass window to his right with the shop's name in the same pattern as the card. He wondered if the owner kept real ones out during the summer. He pushed the door open, which chimed due to a light purple butterfly wind charm above his head. A gust of warm wind surrounded him as the door shut, causing him to feel uncomfortable and a little sweaty in his jacket. His senses were immediately assaulted with the smell of fresh vegetation and upturned soil. The first thing he noticed was the lack of bright light. Most stores had lights that gave off a slight 'hospital' feel to them. Soft yellow bulbs were installed in the ceiling and gave everything the appearance of glowing as well as the sunlight that poured through satin gold curtains on one of the side windows.

The room was made up of various shades of yellow. Underneath his feet was a soft-looking gold rug that was actually hard under his shoes. The walls were a light yellow, yet looked a little orange due to the light bulbs. To his left was a small white stand with a few shelves. The top held gloves, packaged garden shears, plant enhancement food, and hats suited for gardening and the bottom had rubber boots of all sizes and colors. In a row of white shelves on the walls were different sized gardening books, going in order from beginner gardens to veteran farmers.

A dark wooden spiral staircase was a few feet left to the front desk, which was orange with a white bean-shaped table top and a brass cash register. He assumed the stairs lead to an apartment or loft space. To his right was a little off-white table with two chairs next to the big glass window that faced the street. On his far right were four white shelves that matched the ones on the other side of the room. On each shelf were seeds to the four seasons. If he looked at the shelf for summer he also noted that food seeds were on one side and herb/flower seeds were on the other.

He walked to the counter and saw a large assortment of vases and flower pots on the shelves behind it. By the register were little pamphlets for plant health-hazards and 'what-to-do's', as well as little fake plastic flowers with smiling faces. On each corner of the desk were two large potted green plants, one giving off a slightly minty scent and one giving off a slightly spicier scent?

He looked around, wondering where the owner was. He then noticed a door he had missed to the right of the counter. It looked like a screen door which led, to what he assumed, was the medium sized greenhouse attached to the side of the shop. He thought he heard noise coming from behind the door and walked towards it.

Kyoya cautiously opened the door and was once again assaulted with warmth and various smells. Row upon row of plants lined the walls. A few fruit bearing trees sat in the far corners of the greenhouse. Long white tables filled the room, each overflowing with different plants, some bursting with delicious looking fruits and vegetables, others overflowing with colorful and wonderful smelling flowers and herbs. For a moment Kyoya couldn't tell if all the smells of sweet, spicy, tangy, and just plain earthy were making his head swim or feel relaxed. Breathing deeply, he realized his eyes were closed and the noise was louder. He opened them and was surprised to find music echoing through speakers installed in the corners of the ceiling. The song was in a language he did not understand at first, until he realized it was switching between what he thought was either Irish or Latin and English.

Even more surprising was a woman that had just emerged from behind the trees. She looked American or English and was dancing and singing along. On her shoulder was a violin that was playing in perfect tune with the one in the song. Her voice flowed smoothly, intermixing languages. Her feet were bare, smooth legs prancing about the plants as she sang. Her soft light green dress flew around her as she twirled a joyous smile on her pretty heart-shaped face but her eyes was closed. Kyoya was slightly amazed she was able to dance blind without running into any of the pots or tables. She then whirled slightly away from the trees and was shocked to find her hair was a slight darker shade of green as her dress but lighter than the foliage around her. It was short and silky-looking, most of it cut in what he knew to be a 'pixie' style, except for one long section of hair that curved around her face and slightly covered her left eye.

The song ended and she finished the last note on her violin. She stood in the middle of the room, her back facing him.

Kyoya cleared his throat, "Excuse me?"

The girl suddenly tensed. With a voice crystal clear as water she spoke nervously, "W-who are you?"

Kyoya held a confused frown, "Are you the owner of this shop?"

She clutched her violin to her chest, "How did you get in here?"

"Through the door," he said dryly, "Your store was referred to me and your sign said 'open'."

The girl turned sharply, her lips in a surprised O, "Oh! I'm sorry! I thought you broke in here. I forgot to lock up and change the sign. I get carried away when I dance," she blushed.

He would have walked out at such a careless statement or had said something about the danger her actions could cause, but was momentarily entranced. Her eyes stunned him, for he had never seen a more vibrant shade of violet. They sparkled brightly like two perfectly cut jewels.

She took delicate steps, careful not to step on her plants. She held out her hand and smiled, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. It was my fault you're here so I'll let your first purchase be on the house. I'm Ame, the store owner."

He shook his head, "That will not be necessary. I thought this place sold tea?"

She clapped her hands together, "It does. I normally keep the tea samples behind the register but I had gotten an over-shipment of vases and pots and had to move the tea upstairs. I closed the shop early to organize everything but if you take a seat at the table I will be happy to bring them down for you."

He considered simply leaving but knew Tamaki would throw a fit if he saw the lavender tea served again. He rubbed the ridge of his nose, "I can't stay long so bring me just the finest you have."

She gave a cheerful salute, "Can do!"

He watched her quickly run to the spiral staircase and took a seat by the table. The wind had begun to pick up outside. He was about to leave before it got worse but the girl came bounding down the stairs with what looked like an armful of glass boxes that contained different colored little dried leaves. She set them on the table and took a deep breath, "Sorry about that. These are my finest!"

He looked at each of them and was surprised to find the boxes were made of glass. The names of each tea were engraved in calligraphy below the hinged lids, "Where do you get your boxes made?"

She walked behind the counter and opened a drawer by one of the shelves of vases, "My cousin and his friend work in glass. They make me whatever I need."

"I see," he said. He carefully opened the lids and smelled each one. For a moment he thought they were much more powerful than need be until he realized Ame was heating up cups of tea on a little hotplate. She set the five little tea cups down in front of Kyoya, "Whenever someone requests tea I give samples. Try them all if you wish."

He looked out the window and saw that the wind had died down again. Picking up the first cup he took a small sip, his lips feeling cracked. A wonderful burst of flavors entered his mouth and he instantly felt refreshed. Kyoya drank deeply and set the cup down, "What is this?"

She smiled cheerfully, "That happens to be my favorite one. It's raspberry tea."

He stared at the porcelain, "I have tasted teas from all over the country and not once has raspberry tea tasted like that."

She laughed a little, "Everyone says things like that but I think it depends on the grower, not the country it's from."

He took her words into account before trying the second cup. He recognized it to be green tea. It was amazingly smooth with only a hint of bitterness that vaguely reminded him of coffee. The third was an oddly spicy black tea. For a moment he thought about spitting it out but after a few more sips he learned it was an acquired taste that became quite enjoyable. The fourth tea was a shock after the spice of the black tea. It was amazingly sweet and was the only one that wasn't warm. It chilled his teeth as if he were drinking cold water, but had a lovely aftertaste. He looked questioningly at Ame.

She looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Oh, that's my peach tea. There isn't much of that particular tea left. Cake lovers adore it for some reason. I prefer it with a dish that includes meat."

He had intentionally saved the fifth tea for last. It was a strange dark color that, when looked at closely, appeared a bluish purple. He drank the tea and felt strange. It was sort of tangy, almost sour, but pleasantly so. It made his muscles feel oddly relaxed and loose.

Ame had begun to organize some pots when she noticed him settle into his chair more comfortably. She walked over to the table, "That's my special tea. The plant it's made from acts as a muscle relaxer if not diluted. I found a way to make it into a tasty yet tangy tea by accident and it's been really popular. A lot of people use it to calm their nerves for a big day or drink it before they go to sleep. It can be drunk warm or chilled but it helps relax people better when warm. I call it my Mystery Berry Tea."

Kyoya felt his headache settle with ease. Soon he felt nothing but warm comfort and complete serenity. Ame handed him another cup and giggled, "Drink this. It's the raspberry tea. It always helps wake me up after the Berry Tea."

He drank and was instantly awake. He cleared his throat and spoke, "I will take twenty boxes of each."

A hand flew to her collarbone, "Twenty boxes?! I-I know I said your first purchase would be free but I'm not sure I can afford that."

He shook his head, "Your tea makes up for your negligence. I will pay full price."

She felt stunned, the last part of the comment going unnoticed as her violet eyes shone, "Seriously? It's expensive, especially the Berry Tea."

He handed her a sleek black credit card, "Money is no objection."

"Alright," she said quietly. She ran up the steps and begun to carry down the boxes as Kyoya called his new driver. Ame had placed most of the glass boxes carefully into ten sets of ten larger cardboard boxes. In no time at all an expensive looking car parked in front of the shop and a man wearing a uniform began to carry everything to the trunk.

Kyoya looked at the amount everything rang to and raised an eyebrow, _'That is what she calls expensive?'_

Ame handed him the little black credit card back and began writing something on a sheet of paper. She then placed it on the counter where it read, **WE ARE OUT OF TEA AND WILL MAKE MORE SOON~** with a smiling 'chibi anime' face next to it.

She looked happy, "I'll get to replace my entire inventory now. It's actually quite nice to make, smell, and taste test the new tea. Thank you for the purchase," she said gratefully.

As his driver took the final crate outside Kyoya gave her a little bow, "You should expand your inventory. Expect to see me back here again."

She clasped her hands together, "Thank you!"

He glanced briefly at her before leaving. The glow of the lights almost made her look angelic. Before he could think he asked, "How old are you?"

She blinked, "I just turned seventeen. I worked through school and finished early though, so I could start my shop."

He nodded wondering why he even cared to ask, "Well, good day."

She waved as he left and began to pick up the five cups.

* * *

Later that night Kyoya found himself looking up everything he could about _Faye Flora~_ and its owner. Her name had confused him at first; Amethyst Eve Thistle. Her name was spelled 'Ame', not 'Amy'. Her mother Nami was a painter and was currently living in New York with her lover Valencia. _'Unusual names,'_ he thought. Amethyst had worked her way through high school and college before putting a down payment on her shop. This all happened as she turned fifteen. It was believed she was a genius like her mother but chose to work in a flower shop. He wondered why she attended community college when she could have gotten a scholarship and career from anywhere. Despite her talents, her aspirations were almost comically small. He rubbed his temples and wished for her tea before noting ironically that he would not have discovered it had she not chosen her path. Thinking nothing more of it he settled into his bed for a comfortable sleep.

Suddenly he sat up so quickly it made his head spin, _'The girl! It was her!'_ Kyoya quickly thought back to the alleyway. In his mind's eye he saw her small, graceful form leap from the building, her amethyst eyes flashing anger and worry.

"Violet eyes…no, amethyst eyes, of course. How could I not see it?" he muttered to himself. He reached over to his nightstand and wrote himself a reminder in his notebook to visit _Faye Flora~_ again tomorrow, "How appropriate. Well, it comes as no surprise to how she was named."

* * *

_**So! Hope you liked the first chapter! The second and third chapter are already written and the fourth is on it's way. This may be a ten chapter story so you're in for a treat :D Read and Review**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**New Chapter Yay! Anyway, I know this chapter is extremely short but it's funny so don't blame me XD**_

_**Mistrelia of the Ice does not own Host Club. Does anyone else agree that it would be awesome to make something really cool which people would want to write fanfics about and then going on this site, writing your own fanfics about it and then putting; I DON'T NEED A DISCLAIMER! I OWN IT BITCHES! :D I plan to one day XD**_

_**Anyway, I digress. On with the story :D**_

* * *

"So ladies, did you see the baseball game last night?"

Four girls sitting in the Host Club room shook their heads.

Karou looked at Hikaru disdainfully, "I don't really care for baseball Hikaru. It's boring."

Hikaru gave him a sly grin before pulling him close, "But Karou, I thought you liked it. After all, you love playing the role of _catcher_ all the time."

Karou blushed and turned his head, "Hikaru…" he whined.

The girls all swooned and began to fan themselves. Haruhi rolled her eyes and felt a burst of hysterical laughter begin to make its way out of her but quickly smothered it. She hurriedly walked to the back room and began to double over in laughter.

Tamaki entered the room looking worried and spoke quickly, "Haruhi, are you alright? You looked sick…" upon seeing her laugh he brightly smiled, "May I ask what has you so tickled?"

She wiped a stray tear from her eye as her laughter subsided, "I meant what I said before. I can't believe girls fall for that stuff. Most of the time it's a little creepy but that was way too cheesy."

He grinned and spread his arms wide, "I prefer to call it 'cliché' and it is called that for a reason. All true romantics appreciate a good line or a romantic gesture," he said hugging himself dramatically.

She smiled, "I don't see why people go through all that trouble. A simple kiss would suffice in my opinion."

A silence settled between the two. Haruhi felt her cheeks color as she realized what she said, "B-but you know, what would I know? You're the romantic."

He stared into her eyes and for a moment Haruhi thought that he looked torn. It was suddenly replaced with determination as he took a step towards her. She wondered if she should move but felt rooted to the spot. His blue-violet eyes held many emotions: Anxiety, worry, maturity, happiness, determination, and an unnamable emotion that caused Haruhi to feel nervous as well. He leaned towards her, close enough for her to smell mint on his breath. She briefly wondered if her breath smelled bad or good before she realized how close he was. Her heart raced and she wondered why she wasn't pushing him away. She then noticed he had stopped moving and was completely still. Her curiosity suddenly turned to warmth and her heart slightly melted. He was giving her a choice. His eyes were closed and Haruhi realized he was shaking. She smiled; her brown eyes as soft as honey and completed the distance. Their lips met in a soft kiss that seemed to last forever. She put her hands on his face as he wrapped his arms around her back. Ever the romantic, he leaned to dip her as if they had stopped from dancing. Tamaki felt as if his heart would explode, joy shooting through his very being. Haruhi felt her blood race and her heart pound. Her legs had turned to jelly and she knew his arms were the only thing holding her up.

In the room Mori had asked Honey if he wanted anything to drink. Honey stood up, "I can get it Takashi! By the way Kimi," he called as he walked to the back door and opened it, "I like chocolate frosting more than vani-"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

All of the girls had stood and most had begun screaming, Renge taking pictures and shouting for joy. The club members however, looked just as shocked. Honey wondered why and turned to see Tamaki and Haruhi in each other's arms kissing. His mouth dropped open wide, "Oh…my…GOSH! You finally did it Tama-chan!" he yelled happily.

The two opened their eyes and turned their heads to see the entire club staring at them. Tamaki suddenly dropped Haruhi and put one hand behind his back with the other one up, "And to finish our discussion Haruhi, that is how the play Romeo and Juliet ends! Now, back to our duties!" he laughed hysterically loud and nervously as he marched into the club room.

Haruhi sat on the floor, feeling very self-conscious now that all eyes were on her. Not ready to face the crowd she crawled to the door and slowly closed it, "I'm going to…make the tea."

Everyone stared in silence. Kyoya quietly made his way to the door before the room suddenly exploded with chatter and excited gossip.

"I told you!"

"Pay up!"

"Forbidden love!"

"YES!"

"But he's supposed to love me!"

"It finally happened!"

"Thank you for opening the door Honey!"

Honey nervously began sweating as he felt an angry presence behind him. Tamaki got low to his face and growled quietly, "So it was you who interrupted our passionate kiss?"

Honey gulped and attempted to clutch Mori but the tall silent man was conveniently across the room surrounded by girls with questions, "Traitor!" he wailed.

_***Meanwhile in the kitchen***_

Kyoya walked past Haruhi to the storage room and grabbed one of the glass boxes of tea. As he began to walk towards her he noticed she was trying to concentrate very hard on the boiling water yet her face was red as Tamaki's roses. He shook his head in amusement and exasperation, _'It seems I have to clean up everything.'_

He set the box next to her, startling her out of her revere, "Oh, Kyoya."

He wrote something in his notebook, "Were you expecting someone else?"

She blushed furiously and frowned. She then noticed the box he had set next to her, "I thought we weren't using this tea today?"

He didn't look up from his notebook, "I think it would be wise to serve that tea today, don't you?"

She was curious but did not press further. She was just happy her face was no longer in flames.

Kyoya clapped a hand on her shoulder, "By the way, congratulations. I believe the twins owe me some money, so I thank you," he smirked as she stared at him speechless, her blush returning tenfold. He allowed himself a quiet chuckle as he entered the extremely noisy room, _'It's about time too.'_

Luckily, the relaxing tea had caused most of the members to become so drowsy that no one had mentioned another word about the 'incident'. Though the moment everyone stepped outside the cold air refreshed their memories and now Kyoya watched as his friends attempt what the twins were calling 'the walk of shame' from the school's front doors to the limo. Haruhi had said several times she could walk but gave in when Tamaki looked disappointed. He shook his head, the corners of his mouth twitching as he wondered how much she would let Tamaki get away with now that the two were 'The forbidden lovers.'

He watched them blush through the entire walk to the limo, everyone staring and whispering, some giggling. Even though he felt a twisted enjoyment from it all, he was happy for them. Despite not showing it as openly as the twins or Honey (whom had a _very large_ bruise on his head) he did secretly have the two registered with a selection of gifts for them that would be purchased at a later date.

* * *

Kyoya walked down the street to the little flower shop, still surprised that he had not realized Ame was the one who saved him. As he approached the building he saw the man that threatened him yesterday being put into an ambulance. He looked as if someone had nearly killed him. He was bleeding in several places, his throat was completely bruised, and his arm looked broken.

"Serves him right," he muttered. He then noticed a girl with vibrant blood-red hair standing a little ahead of him on the sidewalk smirking at the scene across the street. She was wearing a small black jacket over a red shirt and black pants. She was bleeding from a cut on her cheek but continued to grin as the man yelled in pain. Kyoya wondered if that was the person who had beaten the guy. He noticed the girl began to walk right into _Flora Fauna~_.

Kyoya quickened his pace. The moment he opened the door he heard a sudden scream before Ame threw her arms around the girl, "Nina! I can't believe you're here!" she yelled in English.

The girl grinned and also spoke in English, "It's good to see you again, Ame."

She held her at arm's length, the young woman a little taller than her, "Wow, you've grown a lot. I bet you're still shorter than Alex though."

She shrugged, "That guy's a giant so it's not my fault."

Ame smiled but suddenly frowned, "What happened to your cheek?"

"What, this?" she said swiping her face with her sleeve, smearing the blood, "Had a jagged nail and scratched an itch. No big deal."

Ame reached into her pocket and pulled out a Band-Aid, "Every time I see you you're bleeding," she muttered. She turned her head and noticed Kyoya standing by the door, "Oh, hello," she said switching back to Japanese, "I wasn't expecting you back so soon. I only have a few boxes of tea ready so far."

For a moment he himself had forgotten why he was there. Kyoya's brain finally sparked and he spoke, his voice a normal tone, "I am here to try more tea. The purchase yesterday was for business."

Ame released the young woman, "Oh, okay. I have the recipe for the Berry Tea freshly made from last night."

He walked to the table and sat, "I would rather prefer the black tea."

Ame smiled and turned to open a cabinet behind her. Her friend Nina looked at her and spoke in English, "So, who's this guy?"

Ame pulled out one of the cups, "He's just a customer. They're necessary to run the shop after all."

She shrugged, "Yeah, but you're so damn friendly I can't tell you you're dating."

"Screw you Nina," she said smiling professionally in front of her customer as she prepared the tea.

Kyoya leaned his head on his hand, pretending to look disinterested, _'With their expressions I would never have known they were arguing. They should know better than to speak so freely even if it is in another language.'_

Ame put the cup in front of Kyoya, her words in perfect Japanese, "Here you go Sir. My shop is actually a café before noon so I have set prices for my tea when I'm not giving out samples."

"That is fine," he replied, "Do you sell newspapers?"

She walked to the side of the counter where a rack he hadn't noticed was against the side. She pulled out a paper and handed it to him, "Enjoy."

He drank quietly, his eyes scanning the words he had already read this morning, listening as the two spoke in English.

"Enjoy," Nina mimicked in Ame's voice in English.

Ame proceeded to spray the counter with something before wiping it down, "I'm starting to regret hugging you."

She giggled, "Is that any way to talk to your new employee?"

Her eyebrows raised as she looked at Nina questioningly, "New employee? I thought you, Alex, and Donnie were only here for the weekend?"

Nina shrugged, "I asked them if I could stay longer and Alex told me if you let me room with you I could."

She finished cleaning the counter and sat on what Kyoya assumed was a stool behind it, "Why don't you want to go back to New York?"

She looked down, "I…just need a change of scenery I guess. Besides you seemed to have your hands full here and I thought you could use a hand."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Did you and the Donnie get into a fight?"

She looked up, "No, like I said, I just need a change of scenery. I'm not staying here forever, but it's nice to get away, ya know?"

She eyed the redhead for a moment before sighing, "Fine. Do you have any bags with you?"

"That depends; do you still have the bags I left here the last time?"

She smiled, "I still have them. They're in the guest bedroom."

"Then yes, I do have bags."

She laughed, "You're an idiot. You can start tomorrow. For now do you want any tea?"

"The peach tea is fine. Do you have any sweets?"

Ame shook her head as she handed her the cup, "I have some cake upstairs but I still don't get it. Eating sweets with peach tea makes everything too sweet for me."

Nina winked, "I like a little extra sugar," she giggled before going upstairs.

Kyoya was surprised someone so overly flirtatious and sly was so friendly with Ame who seemed so kind and open.

Ame's words broke through his train of thought, "Sir, you said my tea was for your business. I was wondering if there were any complaints so I could improve the quality."

Kyoya took another drink of his tea before answering, "No, it was exquisite. Do you have any other varieties?"

She rubbed her neck, "No, sorry. I spend most of my time towards my garden. The café idea was only for a small gardening club that comes in before noon to enjoy my tea and ask advice before they continue on their day. The rest of my time is spent selling plants, soil, and equipment. I do make a few homemade sweets every morning though, but it's only to go with the tea for the group in the morning."

'_She sings, dances, plays the violin, cooks, cleans, has excellent gardening skills, can defend herself, has superb people skills created a business at fifteen, is legally considered a genius, makes unusually good tea, worked alone before that girl, and is bilingual. Why on earth is she running such a small establishment?'_, "Well, I should be restocking supplies in another few weeks or so."

She nodded, "I'll have a lot of tea ready by then. Would you like a refill?"

Kyoya looked at his watch, "I have time for another cup."

As she poured him more he decided to ask, "What brought you to Japan?"

She blinked and then smiled, "I guess my Japanese isn't perfect yet, huh?"

He shook his head, "No, your Japanese is fine. It was the English that made me curious and if you don't mind my saying, you don't look Japanese."

"My mom and I came to Japan so she could do some important gallery event and I fell in love with the country. I stayed and opened my business here. I like languages and caught on quickly. I've been here about two years now."

Her smile grew soft as memories came flooding back to her, "The people here are kind, and I met and made wonderful friends. A lot of them have moved but they visit me often."

Kyoya looked into her eyes and for a moment he thought he saw sadness. She quickly smiled, "I've also got my plants to keep me busy. They're like my children and I love caring for them. Also that girl that came in is a friend of mine who's going to work here. Her Japanese isn't perfect yet but she's learning. Oh, speaking of which, if you'll excuse me I have to go water the garden now."

He watched her walk through the screen door. He sat back, his mind wandering. He found himself very relaxed. The room was at a comfortable temperature, just a little on the warm side. Different smells of vegetation wavered through the air, mixing with the taste and smell of his tea. The soft yellow scenery of the room was pleasant and felt like a private sanctuary from the gray cold that was outside the window. Merge everything with a cute and friendly shop owner and he wondered why the store wasn't more popular.

His thoughts caught up with him after a minute and he remembered why he was there in the first place. He decided not to mention the incident, not wanting to owe anything to anyone. He figured thanks enough would be to buy her products in bulk for the club.

Suddenly the girl, her bright green, cat-like eyes excited, came bounding down the steps. Looking around she asked Kyoya in choppy Japanese, "Where's Ame?"

Kyoya waved his hand towards the screen door. Nina made her way to the door, yelling in English, "Oh, sexy!"

"Knock it off Nina."

His eyes narrowed, _"it wouldn't hurt to watch her work progress either.'_

* * *

**_If you haven't checked out AerisXArtemis' fanfics then you should do so :D Hope you like it so far. Read and Review!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**So, if you've gotten this far then congradulations! That means my story may not suck after all :D Once again, sorry about the shortness of the chapter but I promise the next one will definetly be longer.**_

_**Mistrelia of the Ice does not own Host Club. If you think I do then you're an idiot. And you're ugly, just like your mother :D Just kidding but if you've ever seen the Cat In The Hat movie you'll get my joke XD**_

* * *

Nina leaned heavily on the counter, "Good Lord, I'm exhausted."

Ame ignored her.

"Oh, come on," she whined, "You said when there aren't any customers here I can speak English."

Ame sent her a glance, "Yeah, but you've been speaking English the majority of the day and you pissed off one of my customers."

She crossed her arms, "I don't see why he had to storm out just because I said 'chan' instead of 'kun'. It's an honest mistake. Besides, he's the one who chose to hit on _me_."

Ame tried her best to look angry but started to laugh, "That was kind of funny. Still, we're gonna have to work on your honorifics tonight."

Nina groaned loudly, "Can't we just eat ice cream and watch a movie? You already lectured me yesterday on the importance of nouns…"

The green-haired girl raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, because you've been here a week and have already had half my customers confused because you keep switching to the wrong language."

She ran a hand through her red locks, "Fine, but I need to take a walk before we hit the books. It smells lovely in here but it's almost too rich. I need some stale city air. All this fresh, perfumed photosynthesis air is messing up my lungs."

Rolling her eyes, Ame let out a laugh, "Okay. The afternoon's slow anyway so you can take off around this time to let off some steam."

"Thanks," she replied. She went upstairs to change from what she called her 'work' clothes which consisted of nothing more than a plain t-shirt and jeans with a soil covered white apron. She tugged on her worn, black jeans with tears in the knees and slipped on her pair of black zip-up boots. She slipped a white tank top over her torso and a small, loose green shirt that only went just below her breasts; long slash marks decorated the front. She grabbed her little black purse and waved her goodbye to Ame before walking out the door, enjoying the chilly breeze. The warmth of the shop was comforting but muddled her thoughts and tended to make her tired. The cold wind stung her face, helping her feel wide awake but made her wonder if she should have brought a jacket.

Nina took the little black hair tie from around her wrist and pulled her hair into a ponytail, brushing her long bangs from her eyes. Not paying attention she found her feet leading her a few streets away from the shop, going in no particular direction. After a few minutes she decided to walk down an alley to take a shortcut between two buildings, where a small park met her eyes. She smiled in delight, remembering a similar park she liked to visit in New York. Not many people walked around, being a little later in the afternoon.

Nina took the pathway that cut diagonally through the park. It was plain, not many plants or flowers growing except for weeds. There were quite a few trees though, some large with age, some new and swaying in the breeze, all of them beginning to turn red and gold. Nina found a thick oak tree with a soft patch of grass underneath of it and sat down. She leaned heavily against the trunk, enjoying the rough bark on her back with the cool softness of the grass underneath her.

She smiled. Though there was not much to look at, the plain splendor of nature always won her over. She was glad to work in a job full of grandeur plants but admired the simplicity of an unkempt park. It was nice, but the lack of sound around her made her feel uncomfortable. She missed the loud sirens and people talking and music of New York.

"Music…oh, yeah," she said aloud. Unzipping the back pocket of her purse she pulled out a slim iPod with a red cover. She looked around and saw no one before putting her sound on medium and picking a song she felt suited her mood. Nina sang along to the song:

_I'm just a step away  
I'm just a breath away  
Losing my faith today  
(We're falling off the edge today)_

_I am just a man_  
_Not superhuman_  
_(I'm not superhuman)_  
_Someone save me from the hate_

_It's just another war_  
_Just another family torn_  
_(Falling from my faith today)_  
_Just a step from the edge_  
_Just another day in the world we live_

_I need a hero to save me now_  
_I need a hero, (save me now)_  
_I need a hero to save my life_  
_A hero will save me ( just in time)_

Her voice rang with the words, carrying through the park. The scarce few around her paid her no mind, for her voice was good but it was also English. She put her heart into the song, wondering why she always charged her iPod but never listened to it. After repeating the song a few times more she decided to find her way back. Her Japanese was slowly getting better but asking directions was difficult, reading was nearly impossible, and she didn't want to do another "call Ame for directions because your proud ass got you lost again" call.*

Nina shouldered her purse and turned to smile at the tree, "You remind me of a tree I used to sit under all the time back home. I called him Professor," she laughed, "I think I'll call you…Treant. See you tomorrow Treant," she said patting the bark before walking away.

On the other side of the tree a figure shifted to watch the redhead leave.

* * *

Nina was glad to make it back to the shop before the sun began to lower. After a few wrong turns she remembered where she was supposed to go and welcomed the warmth that greeted her, goose bumps rising on her arms. The shop was empty except for Ame at the counter and the dark haired "bespeckaled' boy that visited every day at the same time to drink tea. He sat at the table reading a paperback. Nina didn't bother to attempt to read the title.

"Welcome home, Nina," Ame said.

"Ne, he's here again? God, how does he afford so much tea?"

"Nina," she frowned.

She shrugged, "What? I'm serious; he looks our age but pulls out that credit card like he's some fifty-year old business tycoon."

Ame put a box of tea onto the shelf behind her, "Well, maybe he is, minus the fifty thing. I own this place after all and we both finished school early."

Nina cracked her fingers, "You finished because you love learning like a creeper. I finished to get the hell away from my perv teachers."

Ame pulled out a booklet from her apron pocket and wrote something down, "Don't sell yourself short. You're smart too."

Cat-like eyes slitted as she grinned, "Damn right I am. Now then, since I'm so smart that means we don't have to study honorifics tonight, right?"

"Not a chance."

"Fuck," she muttered, "Worth a try. I'm gonna go get some ice cream thawed out while you finish with Glasses_,_" she said using her nickname for the boy.

Ame rolled her eyes, "Would you like anything else Sir?"

* * *

Kyoya felt his lips turn upward in amusement to yesterday's conversation, "Interesting."

"What is?" the twins said turning to him.

He blinked, "Nothing." He was surprised he had said that out loud. His thoughts continued to lead to the little garden shop but occasionally were pushed out of his mind as he kept an eye on Tamaki around Haruhi. The two seemed to get along fine and had begun to spend their days together outside Host Club. He wondered if things were going to change soon…

"Oh, Hikaru~"

"Cake!"

"Not now Tamaki-kun!"

…well…maybe not that soon.

After the school day ended rain began to softly pour. Just as quickly as it appeared it left, leaving the sky a blanket of gray clouds. Kyoya walked into _Faye Flora~_ to find Nina running around, frantically grabbing her jacket and purse.

"It might rain again," said Ame.

Nina waved, "But it may not and I want to get there. I'm inspired today. See ya." She maneuvered around Kyoya and began to run out the door, past the large window.

Ame greeted him with a smile, "Hello Sir. Sorry about that, Nina's a little overly excited today."

"It's alright. Black tea is fine."

She nodded. Kyoya noticed her expression seemed to be happier than usual, her amethyst eyes shining. She hummed quietly to herself, a smile forming on her lips as she poured his tea.

"Good news?"

She looked up, "Excuse me?"

He leaned into his chair, "You look as if someone gave you very good news."

"Oh, no, not quite," she replied, "I'm just happy today. Nina is doing much better with her Japanese."

"I'm surprised you hired her so easily. She seems distracted and just barely knows the native tongue, much less the literature."

Ame set his cup on the table, "She is an old friend. When I was a kid I moved around a lot. She was a girl who went to my middle school in Oklahoma. We weren't very close but we knew of each other. She was tired of the small town we lived in and joined her dad in New York where he worked. Her parents have jobs that keep them in different states but they try their best. That was around the time I had to move there with my mom. We were the only two who knew each other in the big city and stuck together."

He nodded, "I still don't believe in hiring your friends. They take advantage too easily."

She smiled, "I felt the same way, but she really is a hard worker. You should see her in the beginning of the day. Nina just has a strong personality. In a way, she's like family to me."

He took a drink of his tea, "That still doesn't explain why you're so happy."

Ame grinned, "Of course it does. I'm glad to see Nina doing well and enjoying herself. When the people I care about are happy then I'm happy. It's a wonderful feeling isn't it Kyoya-kun?"

He hesitated, the cup rim at his lips.

A blush crept onto her face, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've seen your name so many times on your credit card that it sort of stuck."

He shrugged and took another drink, "You may call me Kyoya. We see each other almost every day so a little familiarity is tolerable."

She stared at him a moment before smiling, "Okay. Thank you."

Kyoya blinked, "It's fine. What is 'Ame' short for?"

She looked as surprised as he felt about the question, "Amethyst."

He knew but found himself saying, "It suits you."

She looked sheepish, "Yeah, people talk about my eyes a lot. They're not contacts."

"I didn't think they were."

A silence settled between the two. Ame leaned on the counter, "So, how's your tea?"

He looked at the swirling black liquid, "It's good. How do you come up with such interesting flavors?"

Ame looked thoughtful, "Well, experimenting mostly. I make my recipes the way they're supposed to be made and then I add something new to see if it works."

"It sounds like a long process."

Her features grew soft, the look in her eyes far away, "It is, but there is something about going through the motions and work before getting something truly wonderful in the end and knowing you accomplished it by staying diligent."

Kyoya thought about her words and nodded, "I've felt that way before. As they say, the adventure is half the fun."

She rubbed her arm, "It's nice to hear you say that. For a minute I felt silly saying those things."

The corners of his lips twitched, "You're not silly."

She gave him a kind smile, "Thank you."

Suddenly the door flew open, the biting cold wind shattering the warm atmosphere. A man holding a pot with pitifully wilted flowers looked panicked, "E-excuse me! My daughter is going to be home tomorrow and I need to replace…whatever these are!"

Ame jumped, "O-okay. Let's see what we have here."

Kyoya shifted his attention to the window, his heartbeat unusually fast. He found himself glancing back to the counter as Ame struggled to calm down the worried customer. She excused herself to the back. He narrowed his eyes, noticing the man was not too distracted to stare as she walked away. Ame brought back fresh beautiful flowers that just barely resembled the neglected ones, "Here you are Sir. They're called Forget-Me-Nots."

He looked her up and down, "Forget-Me-Nots, huh? Hope that isn't an issue here."

She kept her smile but seemed puzzled, "Well, just be sure to water them frequently."

The man's gaze made Kyoya tighten his fist around the teacup. He leaned on the counter as Ame put the purchase amount into the cash register, "So, Little Lady, what time do you get off?"

Her smile was much less pronounced as she replied, "I'm afraid I'm a bit of a workaholic. I don't have time for much else."

"All work can tire a person out," he smirked, "You should learn to play a little."

Kyoya loosened his grip, realizing he was about to break the teacup. He chose to ground his teeth instead at such outright disrespect, however, he did not know if this man was a regular of hers.

Ame narrowed her eyes, "I am quite comfortable with my situation as it is."

He put an obscene amount of money on the counter, "What's a little fun gonna hurt if it's worth your while?"

Kyoya spoke in a low voice, "I believe she said she was fine with her current situation."

"No one asked you," he snapped.

Ame crossed her arms, "I won't have you disrespect myself or my customers. Take your flowers and leave."

He grabbed the flowers and the pot, "Uptight Bitch."

"Hold it."

He turned, "What?"

"I work hard and am diligent, something that seems a foreign concept to you since your daughter's plants are a horrid mess, showing you are as neglectful as you are rude. Also, I'm not sure if you're going through your mid-life crisis at this point but I highly doubt you should be paying anyone what I assume is your daughter's age to have sex with you because I know I do not look any older than my age and I have never been told otherwise. Furthermore, I may be a bitch in your eyes but in my eyes I am not the whore you've mistaken me to be. However, in my eyes, you are the exact kind of scum that I see every single day."

"Listen here you little slut-"

In one swift and shocking motion Ame pulled a gun from under the counter and pointed it at the man, "I suggest you get out of my store."

He backed out of the store and bolted, his false bravado gone.

Ame put the gun on the counter and sighed heavily, "I'm sorry you had to see that.

Kyoya kept his eyes on the gun.

Ame looked apologetic, "I really am sorry."

He stared at the shiny metal, "Where did you get that?"

She looked surprised, "This?" she asked holding up the gun, "Are you nervous around guns?"

"That depends on whether you know how to use one."

She traced one finger lazily around the barrel, "I wouldn't have one if I didn't. I'm legally allowed to own and use this gun if that's what you're asking. I've had this one for a little over a year."

'_She sings, dances, plays the violin, cooks, cleans, has excellent gardening skills, can defend herself, has superb people skills, makes unusually good tea, worked alone before that girl, and is bilingual, can think on her feet, stands up for herself, knows how to use a gun…'_ He was worried more was going to be added to the list the more time he spent around her.

Ame smiled, "I don't believe in idiots with guns, but I've been training for a long time. You have nothing to worry about."

The door opened again. Ame tightened her grip on the gun but relaxed and put it back under the counter, "Oh, welcome home Nina."

Nina shrugged off her jacket and put it on the coat rack by the door, "Hey Ame."

Kyoya stood and paid for his drink.

"Thank you for earlier."

He waited, slightly confused.

Ame twirled one of her long bangs, "For what you said to that guy."

He narrowed his eyes, "I don't tolerate assholes, if you pardon my words. You shouldn't have provoked him."

Her eyes grew wide but then narrowed as well, "I know how to handle myself. I know perfectly well when to keep silent but had I in this instance it wouldn't have been nice."

"Nice?"

A slow smirk appeared on her lips, "He would have thought I was some little thing he could come back here and bully. Next time he did I would have put him through hell. It wouldn't have been nice to let him think he had a chance against me."

He observed her…a small, pretty petite girl with beautiful violet eyes and green hair who wears sundresses. Suddenly he remembered the girl who took down his attacker, standing before him with fire in her eyes. His interest greatly increased and he felt himself smirk in return, "You are not one to be underestimated."

"No, I'm not," she said sweetly, smirk still in place, "Have a nice day."

Kyoya left the store in a considerably greater mood, _"Who would have guessed?"_

Back in the store Nina stared curiously at Ame, "Okay, I know I still have more to learn but what the hell was that about?"

Ame grinned, "I don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

**_*I had to do that once...it wasn't fun._**

**_If anyone's wondering the song I used was called 'Hero' by Skillet. They're not bad and once again, if you think I own them you're an idiot._**

**_So...despite my verbal abuse, read and review! :D_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello all! Sorry I have't uploaded as quickly as I did the other three chapters. My friend needed me for some matters and you should always put someone who needs help first.**_

**Disclaimer: Mistrelia of the Ice does not own OHSHC because if she did Nina and Ame would've probably been in it.**

* * *

Mori walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the sun's last few rays before the snow finally set in, which was expected to be in just a few days. He found himself in the little 'almost a park' as Honey called it. It was actually just an entire block that was empty of any buildings. Trees and shrubs grew in random places. A building was expected to be constructed over it but the deal fell through and everyone began treating it as a small park, having picnics and walking their dogs.

His dark eyes fell into the tree he had waited for Honey by the other day. The school was having construction work done for a new wing to the library so every student needed to leave the grounds the moment school was over. Clubs would be resumed in about a week. Honey had to stay after for a make-up test that he had missed. Mori wanted to stay too but Honey told him to meet him in the little faux park so they could train. He knew Mori liked to let off steam at the kendo club so he had taken to training with the taller boy after school.

He had found a large oak tree to sit by and wait for the blonde boy. While he waited he began to hear singing from the other side of the oak tree. The song was strong, loud, and unfamiliar as the voice that accompanied it. He had long since learned English and listened to the mystery female voice. He wondered why a girl would listen to such a song, but after a few minutes he found himself enjoying it, even humming along quietly after the next few times she sang. He heard her speak in a strong, clear voice as she talked to the tree. Mori even chuckled a little at her 'Professor Oak' joke. He also understood the name Treant from a video game his little brother Satoshi had been obsessed with for a little while. He heard her beginning to walk away and tried to catch a view of her but was distracted by an approaching Honey.

He now stood a few steps from the tree. In his mind he knew it sounded odd, but the next day around the same time he sent Honey off in the car and walked to the little park. Everyone knew them for being the two that always stuck together, but thanks to upcoming graduation they knew they would not be able to spend every day together thanks to their choice in colleges. They weren't planning to tell anyone about it until graduation but they had already started spending some of their afternoons doing different activities so the separation would be easier. Honey spent his time with Satoshi trying to get Chika to admit his love for cute animals. Mori still had yet to decide what he wanted to do with his free time. He decided he would train and spend more time with his pets but found himself waiting for the mystery singer.

It was only lightly raining, not enough for an umbrella, just a light jacket. He heard the shuffle of steps behind him before the music began playing:

_If you are the one  
Then us meeting here is fate  
Future with a dog named Red  
Buy a house with a fireplace  
This is the first I've seen your face  
But there's a chance we are soul mates  
I know that this might sound crazy  
Cuz you don't know my name_

_But we can't_  
_We can't tell_  
_The future no_  
_But that's just, the beauty of the world we know_  
_So Imma say do do do do, do do do do_  
_Baby, what if_  
_We all can say do do do do, do do do do_  
_Baby, what if_  
_What if_

Mori listened to her sing. The song was vastly different than the one she had sung yesterday. He also found it a little ironic. She was singing about love and a life with an unknown soul mate when he was sitting behind her. The thought made him both blush a little and feel unusually curious. She continued to sing and he could tell in some places she was smiling and sighing a little. He had an urge to meet her and began to turn around but stopped. He wondered if she would think him crazy for waiting to hear her sing as she did yesterday. The girl's voice was melodious and pretty, much nicer than he had ever heard. He leaned back against the tree, letting her words flow over him. He decided to let her sing and not disturb her new favorite place. Everyone needed one.

Since then Mori had listened to her sing every day for about a week right after he got out of school. He wondered if she went to the same school, which would explain why she always sang at the same time. Today was a Saturday and he wondered if she would show up again. Looking at his phone he realized it was around the time she showed up. He walked over to the tree and was surprised to find something white attached to the trunk where his spot was. He quickly walked towards it to see it was a piece of paper.

Kneeling on one knee to get a better look, his eyes widened in surprise. A picture of him was above the piece of paper. He had worn dark colored jeans and a black button-up shirt that he changed into after he had gotten out of school. In the picture Mori had leaned against the tree, his eyes closed with one leg straight out and one bent, his shoe against the earth. The paper was a perfect drawing in pencil of the photo, even perfectly capturing the tree and the grass. By the bottom of the paper was a little arrow pointing to the edge of the sheet. He pulled the little tack holding the drawing to the tree and flipped it over. In unusually neat writing the letter read in Kanji:

_To the Mystery Listener~_

_I sort of glanced you on the first day and again on the second day I visited the tree. At first I thought I was seeing things but after a while I borrowed a friend's camera and hid in the bushes to see if you were some old creep. Safe to say, you weren't what I expected. You have really great cheekbones by the way. I've drawn a lot of people but you were fun to draw. I had a lot of theories as to why you kept sitting on the other side of Treant (if you didn't hear me on the second day it's what I named the tree) but I figured why not just meet you? I won't be here today (had a friend bring the letter and the photo to the tree) but if you do want to meet me, stop by the Red Komodo noodle shop tomorrow around four. They make really good ramen there. I'll be the girl with red hair and green eyes._

_(P.S. Since you've heard me sing in English you should know I'm American but can speak a good amount of Japanese, however, I had to have a friend write this letter. My kanji's terrible and I didn't know if you could read English.)_

_Sincerely, _

_The Mystery Singer~_

He read over the letter a few more times, wondering if he should find it amusing or unusual. He put the photo in his pocket but carefully folded the drawing before unfolding it and reading the letter again. He began to walk home, his mind full of thoughts as he stared at the drawing of himself. It was perfect; not an eraser mark or pencil shaving in sight. Mori wondered if he should agree to go but already found himself wondering what he should wear.

* * *

Hikaru and Karou grinned at each other, waiting for the perfect opportunity. They were standing on the other side of a wall in the music room hanging on to a thin wire that was attached to Kuma-chan who was dressed like a bat and hanging above the door where they waited for their 'King'.

Tamaki was talking animatedly to Haruhi about something that happened in his class. The twins dropped Kuma-chan, the bear landing on Tamaki's face.

He began screaming and flailing, "Curse! It's the Halloween curses! They're already starting!"

The twins laughed as Haruhi attempted to grab Kuma-chan off his face, "Tamaki, it's just your bear! Besides, Halloween isn't for another two weeks."

After Haruhi took the bear off his face and set it on the table he jumped for joy, "Haruhi saved me from the curse!"

He chased her around the room in an attempt to get a hug as Haruhi yelled, "It wasn't a curse! It was just Hikaru and Karou!"

"In my opinion they count as curses!"

"Hey!" they yelled in unison.

Just as he reached for her she was suddenly pulled to the side by Mori who then pulled her into the back room. Everyone stared at the space she previously occupied.

"Mori stole Haruhi," Tamaki said surprised.

"He's been having an unusual week," Honey said with a secretive smile as he took a bite of his cake.

The three boys stood around him, "What do you know?"

"Nothing," said Honey with an innocent look.

Tamaki grabbed his cheek, "You still owe me for interrupting our kiss."

Honey flailed, "Waaah, Kyo-chan! Tama-chan's being mean!"

Kyoya continued to type on his laptop, "Just don't destroy the room."

"You need to right your wrong!" said Tamaki still pulling on Honey's cheek.

Hikaru gave Honey a stage whisper, "I never got a chance to congratulate you on that. King's face was priceless."

Karou grinned, "Almost as good as Haruhi's."

"WHAT?!" he yelled chasing the now laughing twins around the room.

Kyoya sighed and rubbed his temples, vowing to work on the website at Ame's shop from now on.

**_*Meanwhile in the back*_**

Haruhi stood quietly as Mori shifted through the contents of his duffel bag.

"Um, Mori-kun, what did you need?"

Mori pulled out two shirts and put them side by side. One was a short-sleeved white shirt with an orange and black logo, the other a short-sleeved blue flannel shirt.

Haruhi stared at them a moment before asking, "You….need clothing advice? Why not ask the others?"

"I'd rather have a woman's advice."

Haruhi tilted her head, "I'm not the best one for that. What about Renge-chan?"

From the dark look on his face she suspected he already did, "Ah…alright. Hm...I'd go with the white one, I guess."

He nodded and put the shirts back into his bag. He patted her shoulder in thanks and walked out of the room. Haruhi wondered why he needed advice on getting dressed but the thought was quickly sent from her mind as she heard a crash followed by Tamaki's screaming and the twin's laughter.

The afternoon was slightly warmer due to the sunlight streaming from the broken clouds. Kyoya still hugged his jacket, his body temperature accustomed to the warmth of _Faye Flora~_. In the shop he placed his jacket on the coat hanger, careful not to jostle his laptop as he carried it to the table. Looking around he saw no one except for the greenhouse door slightly open. Noticing music coming from the greenhouse he walked to the door and was greeted with an interesting sight.

Ame was smiling and dancing, her voice humming with the starting melody from the speakers. She was wearing a yellow sundress with a white band around it, her feet bare. A hose was in her hand, the nozzle on the front sending out mists of water. She twirled, making sure to get every plant. Her pretty voice echoed through the room:

_Landlord's knocking at my door cussing me out  
Got laid off my job the night before_

_Can't figure how  
I'm gonna fix tomorrow when yesterday's still a mess  
Can you tell me what's the point man  
It all seems meaningless  
I wish that I could step away and breathe  
This world's trying to swallow me  
Clear away the clouds inside my head_

_Someone just tell me_  
_That it's ok now_  
_What are you worrying about_

_Got my dreams, got my life, got my love_  
_Got my friends, got the sunshine above_  
_Why am I making this hard on myself_  
_When there's so many beautiful reasons I have to be happy_

Her smile was rapturous as she sang. Some of her moves pantomimed the words of the song. She laughed between lines, the small amount of sunlight from the sky through the greenhouse roof shining on her face.

_People lie, people hide, people cry, people fight_

_And they don't know why_  
_If fear is all that we should fear_  
_Then what are we so afraid of_  
_'Cause fear is only in our heads_

_Someone please say..._

"Having fun?"

Ame nearly tripped at the sound of his voice. She looked around before looking at an amused Kyoya, "Was the front door locked?"

"No."

"Dammit Nina," she muttered embarrassed, "Sorry about that. She was supposed to lock up after she left. We're taking a day off today."

"Oh," he said, "I will leave you to your plants then."

"Well, no, it's fine," she said turning off the hose; "Since it was Nina's fault the door was open I'll put your tea order on her tab today."

He grinned at her prominent blush, "You dance very well."

Ame shrugged the red still on her cheeks, "I don't usually dance in front of people."

"You should."

She gave him a blank look and he cleared his throat at her misunderstanding, "That is, you should explore all your talents."

Ame began to giggle.

Kyoya frowned, "You've been spending too much time around Nina."

Ame laughed, "I can't help it. She rubs off on you after a while."

He tried to keep his frown but softened at her laugh, "Shall we?"

Ame nodded, "Yeah, sorry. What are you having today?"

"The Berry Tea," he said sitting down at the table.

Ame followed behind him and walked to the counter to pull out the tea cups, "Stressful day?"

He rubbed his temples, "You could say that. My co-workers are idiots."

Ame grinned, "I've had those days too. Do you still go to school too or do you just work?"

He opened his laptop, "I go to school but I have business there as well as my family business to deal with."

"Sounds rough," she sympathized.

He looked around, "Do you have an outlet?"

She nodded, "Yeah, behind you under the window."

He plugged his laptop's charger in and was glad to note she had Wi-Fi, "It's good having challenges," he said.

She shrugged, "Well yeah, but it's nice to settle down every once in a while to enjoy the benefits of working."

"Working is the benefit," he said logging in.

"Not if you're a gerbil breeder," she muttered, "That'd be a little creepy."

Kyoya hesitated a moment and then began to openly laugh despite himself, "I suppose so."

Ame laughed a little as well feeling that was probably the strangest thing she'd ever said. They sat in a comfortable silence. Kyoya typed quietly as Ame made the tea. She set the cup on the table before pulling out a pink and green binder and began taking inventory of the shelves.

A rare silence followed, interrupted only by soft typing and the occasional pen against paper noise. Kyoya tried to concentrate on the screen of his computer but found he was relaxing more than anything. Shutting it off he pulled out his notebook to write a few things he observed throughout the day. The sunlight was coming in more and more through the window, keeping the room warm. He drank his tea slowly, savoring the taste as his attention followed Ame around the room. While she wrote, her expressions shifted from concentration to puzzlement at a supposed error to peace as she hummed a few notes to a song, occasionally glancing at Kyoya's cup in case of a needed refill.

Kyoya watched her walk across the room to inspect the shelves, her long bangs hiding one side of her face from him. He leaned to the side a little to catch a glimpse of her expression. Ame pushed her bangs behind her ear and locked eyes with his. She gave him a sweet smile, "Do you need a refill?"

Her smile momentarily took away his words. After a moment of his staring, her expression became puzzled. He slowly shook his head and looked down to his notebook where the contents surprised him. He had taken to writing his discoveries of Ame in his notebook. Somehow after '_knows how to use a gun'_ he had written, _'is beautiful in the sunlight.'_ He quickly scribbled out the detail, wondering what had gotten into him. He looked up and jolted a little to find Ame standing next to him.

She blinked, "I'm just giving you more tea."

His heart raced a little. Her face was calm, the corners of her lips turned up just slightly. While she poured the tea he noticed how close she was. She smelled of fresh soil and flowers.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

Kyoya closed his notebook, "I'm having trouble concentrating."

"Oh," she said, "Well, is there anything I can do? Do you want me to put the blinds down?"

"What made you decide to open a flower shop?"

She stared at him. Kyoya wondered if he was having a stroke but kept his face still as if he genuinely wanted an answer. After a moment he realized he actually did.

"Well," she said sitting down on the other chair, "I guess because…I was no good at it."

"What do you mean?" he asked, "You have a wonderful garden."

"Ever since I was young everyone had so many 'ambitions' for me," she said looking out the window, "I've been singing and dancing since I could walk, I finished school in a heartbeat, and I can pick up about any language I want in less than a few months. I've been good at everything I barely set my mind to."

"That disappoints you?" he said curiously.

Ame looked out the window, "It actually did, as hard as that it to believe. Everyone wants to do things the easy way, right? So why wouldn't a girl flaunt her talents? I've been asked that all my life. Sure I can pick up a violin and play Ave Maria in a day, but what's it worth if I can't make mistakes?"

He frowned, "I still don't understand. Isn't it better to be good at something so you can use it later in life?"

She sighed, "Look at it this way. You said the adventure is half the fun, right? Well, being good at something means there is no adventure, no mistakes to learn. There was a girl I knew who was so jealous of me because she was having so much trouble with her violin. Over a long time I watched her struggle and almost give up altogether. Then one day she came to school and played Ave Maria with all her heart. It wasn't perfect but she was so proud of her accomplishment. How can I feel that when I'm good at everything I do?"

"I see your point."

She traced her fingers around the flower patterns of the teapot, "Well, one day a friend asked me advice about growing roses and I couldn't give her an answer. She piqued my interest in gardening and I paid a visit to the gardening club. They let me join in a heartbeat and soon I was put to work," her gaze stayed on the teapot, her smile tender, "I was awful. I messed up everything I did and nearly took out our entire herb garden. I was so embarrassed. I can still remember how angry the guy in charge was with me when I knocked over an entire shelf of vases while attempting to carry a simple bouquet," she laughed.

"You make wonderful plants now," Kyoya said drinking from his cup.

"Yeah, _now_," she emphasized with a smile, "Gardening is my first and only true accomplishment. It's the only thing I'm not good at, which is why I worked so hard on it. To me, my garden is a representation of the first real work I've ever done."

Kyoya was newly impressed _again_ by this seemingly simple girl. She was much more than ordinary, "You are quite a treasure."

Her attention snapped to Kyoya, a blush formed on her face, "Oh?"

He avoided her eyes, angry with himself. He had not meant to speak out loud, "Well, yes. You are possibly the most interesting girl I've ever met."

"Um, thank you," she stammered.

Kyoya looked up, transfixed by her jewel-like eyes. Just the sight of her made him want to say irrational things. He quickly steeled his face, willing himself not to say anymore.

And then she smiled, "What about you, Kyoya-kun?"

Kyoya briefly closed his eyes feeling his heart beat uncomfortably again at the sound of his name from her lips.

"Kyoya-kun?"

He opened his eyes. The curious look on her face made his resolve waver as well as gave him a strange need to be honest. His mind went to all of the reasons he could think of that should make him leave and never return but instead spoke, "Well, to start, I have two brothers and a sister, all older than me…"

* * *

Mori waited at one of the tables outside the noodle shop. He arrived a few minutes early in his haste. He had worn the shirt Haruhi had told him to and a pair of black jeans. He knew she wouldn't ask questions about his need of her opinion like the other Host members would. He originally asked Renge about a choice of attire but was overwhelmed by her delusions of a 'secret' romance of his and quietly slipped away from her.

Four o' clock. He wondered who she would be and if he already knew her at school. After thinking about it, he only knew of a few girls with red hair and none of them were American.

"Konnichiwa!"

He looked up in surprise. Standing in front of him was a slightly tall, pretty girl with dark red hair. Her eyes were emerald green and had a slight similarity to cat eyes. Her hair was pulled into a long ponytail, reaching past her shoulder blades. She was wearing a green short-sleeved camouflage shirt, and black shorts. On her feet was a pair of boots that zipped to just below her knees. A little black purse rested on her left hip, the strap going across her torso to her right shoulder.

Mori smiled and gestured for her to sit.

She sat and spoke slowly, "Ore Nina- Nani?"

Mori chuckled, "I can speak English."

"Oh thank god," she sighed heavily, "Why were you laughing? Did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head, "'Ore' is the male term for addressing yourself."

"Really?" she said in shock which quickly turned to anger, "Then I have to kill a friend of mine. She knows my Japanese isn't perfect but she let me keep saying 'ore'. People probably think I'm a cross dresser now and it would also explain why that woman looked at me like I was an idiot which I cannot stand because I know I'm not an idiot and...er well, forget I said that. You know what, let's start over. Hi, I'm Nina," she said holding out her hand.

Mori found himself chuckling again as he shook her hand, "Takashi Morinozuka."

"Wow, that's a name," she said raising her eyebrows, "Do you have a nickname?"

He nodded, "Mori."

She smiled, "I like Mori. So, why have you been following me?"

Mori looked down, "I wasn't."

"So, is the other side of that tree your spot too?"

Mori thought about it for a moment then nodded. It was technically the truth.

"Okay," she said, "Problem solved. Now then, did you like the drawing?"

He nodded.

"Great," she smiled, "It's kind of funny. I worked on it every time I sat by Treant. Sort of ironic since you never knew and you were right behind me. Speaking of which, did it bother you when I sang all the time? After all, I'm pretty sure it was your spot first."

Mori shook his head, "I was there waiting for a friend."

"Oh," she said, "So, did you come back there just to hear me sing?"

Mori kept his eyes on the sidewalk, a little worried. It sounded odd out loud.

She placed her hand on his, "It's alright, I'm not mad. It's nice to know someone likes my singing so much. I've always been sort of self-conscious about it."

He turned his head to look at her.

She withdrew her hand, "So, let's order some ramen!"

He nodded.

They both ordered their noodles from the waiter. Nina leaned into her seat, "It's oddly warm today, huh?"

"Mhmm."

They sat in silence after a while. The silence continued as their food was set in front of them and they began to eat. The silence seemed to stretch. As Nina looked for something to say someone began to hit their spoon against their table. Nina started gently bobbing her head to the beat. She took out her iPod and scrolled through the songs, "Do you think anyone would mind if I played my music?"

Mori looked around. The only table occupied was by a couple, the woman hitting her spoon against the table. They appeared to be leaving soon. He shook his head.

She played the song. It started off soft and grew louder. She smiled, "This song is the best to train to."

He raised his eyebrows.

Nina grinned, "What? Just cuz I'm cute doesn't mean I can't fight. Can you fight?"

He nodded.

She leaned on her hand, "You think you can fight me?"

"I wouldn't want to."

"Damn right you don't," she laughed, "But seriously, I'm bored and not the type of girl to just walk around window shopping, so come with me."

He stood with her and followed her. Nina led him to the little park and turned to face him, her stance ready, "Okay, fight me."

"It's not good to fight directly after eating."

She cracked her knuckles, "The point of fighting is not knowing when you have to. Someday we may need to fight when eating or after. Now, come at me."

He was surprised that eating ramen with the mystery singer would turn into a fight but proceeded. They spent the next few hours progressively growing more intense with their duel, yet not one hit connected with the other. Once the sun began to lower they both laid on the grass panting from exhaustion.

She rolled to face him, "Hey, I'm surprised you went along with it. You seemed like the 'I don't hit girls' type of guy."

He turned his head to face her, "I don't but you asked for a fair fight and I conceded."

She rolled back to face the sky, "It wasn't a fair fight. You were holding back. Then again, so was I. Where'd you learn to fight?"

He looked at the sky, "My entire family fights."

"Awesome."

"That doesn't bother you?"

She laughed, "We just spent like three hours attempting to hit each other and you think I have a problem with it?"

"…I wasn't trying to hit you."

She stared at the sky, "Yeah, me neither."

They stayed on the cool grass. When the sun began to lower below the trees they stood. She shook his hand, "We should fight again sometime. That was fun."

He nodded feeling it was the best but strangest meeting with a girl he'd ever had.

* * *

_**So! All of you finally figured out who the mystery listener was. Hope the date wasn't completely confusing but like she said, she's not the type to go window shopping haha.**_

_**Reviews and criticism are appreciated but let's leave the flames in the fireplace :D**_

_**Before I forget, the songs used in this chapter were 'What if' by Jason Derulo and 'Happy' by Natasha Bedingfield. Enjoying all genres of music means I have a lot of freedom for variety.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Hello again Ladies and Jellyfish! Thank you Hopelesslyhope for being my first reviewer and for the rest of you who have favorite/followed/read the story so far I feel the need to ask WHY? DON'T YOU LOVE ME? Just kidding. Felt I needed a moment to be dramatic._**

**Mistrelia of the Ice does not own OHSHC. If you think I do you may be on some form of hallucenogen and may need to see a doctor.**

* * *

Kyoya sat at home, wondering what he should do about Ame. It had been one week since he had (in his opinion) lost his mind and told a nearly perfect stranger all about his life. At first he'd just plan to talk about just the basics but three cups of Berry Tea later had him feeling slightly delirious enough to start complaining about his issues with his brothers and his father until he was working himself into a rage; thought it did give him new appreciation for Ame's tolerance. She never laughed at him or scoffed at him or even feared him but instead empathized and listened. It was more than he expected from someone he'd never even met outside of a store. She was exceptionally sweet and kind.

When he had woke up the next day in his bed he felt incredibly refreshed but vowed to never drink the Berry Tea again. It was like drinking alcohol; made him feel warm, his thoughts were fuzzy, his inhibitions lowered, except the next day he had no hangover and as a plus was headache free but unfortunately the aftertaste in his mouth was incredibly bitter.

"She did say it acts as a diluted sedative," he muttered. Since that day he hadn't visited _Faye Flora~_. Things with school and co- running the Host Club had taken up most of his time.

Though managing his time had been difficult and his schedule constantly being full, it allowed him to put his strengths to the test and finally show his father his true capabilities.

Kyoya knew had been using his busy days as an excuse to never have to show his face again at the store but soon enough the club's tea inventory was running low due to its popularity. He almost considered having someone else go in his stead but in his mind that would be cowardly and the heir to the Ootori fortune should be anything but. With that resolve he decided go to the shop the next moment he could.

To his dismay, the day came sooner than he thought it would. On the day his father had to leave town for a few days for a business trip was the day the club was taking a day off for various personal reasons. He had no other excuse not to go.

He chose to walk, claiming to his staff that the weather was good for a walk, but in reality he just wanted to buy some time.

Kyoya wasn't sure why he was so nervous or why he was even thinking about the girl at all. After a few minutes he shook his head and began to walk faster, feeling like a fool for getting so worked up over someone of low status who sold flowers. Seeing the shop come into view he hurried to the door and opened it…

…to see Ame in an embrace with a man.

An enraged look came to his face but he quickly switched it to his usual stoic gaze. Ame suddenly looked over her shoulder upon hearing the wind chime and smiled brightly, "Oh! Hello Kyoya-kun!"

The man was American, tall and was obviously in shape. To Kyoya's annoyance he was also quite attractive, almost up to par with the Host Club's standards. A stylish mess of auburn hair swept around his sparkling deep blue eyes and the smirk on his face showed a row of perfectly white teeth; surprisingly his skin was flawless. The man hugged her tighter and spoke in English, "Are you sure you aren't going to see me off?"

She smiled, "Nina will be there and besides, I've taken enough time off work to take care of your lazy butt."

Kyoya's grip on the door's handle tightened. The man's eyes locked with his and he frowned. Speaking in perfect Japanese he said, "You shouldn't hold the door open like that. Cold air is bad for her plants."

Kyoya focused on all of the skills he learned as a Host and gave a polite bow to Ame, "My apologies. I hope I'm not intruding on anything."

Before she opened her mouth the man lifted her in his arms and nuzzled her hair, "Just a tearful farewell."

"Who's tearful?" she laughed.

He grinned handsomely, "You should be. After all, we won't be able to see each other for a while."

'_Good,'_ Kyoya thought almost violently as he walked to sit down at the table.

She rolled her eyes, "With the amount you've been hugging me lately I'm surprised I haven't merged into you yet."

Setting her down the man gave her a brilliant smile, "You really should come with me! Don't you miss New York?"

Kyoya's eyes widened in shock.

Ame gave him a playful shove, "I'm perfectly fine where I am thank you."

He sighed, "You just won't budge huh? Alright then, take care of yourself," he said giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head, "but you'd better come visit me!"

"I will, I will," she said, "Now go, you're gonna miss your flight."

"Fine," he pouted, "I'll call you when I land."

Picking up bags Kyoya hadn't noticed were behind the counter he walked out the door. He watched in confusion, _'Was he living here with her?'_

"Whew, sorry about that," Ame smiled, "It's nice to see you again Kyoya-kun."

"Yes, well I can't stay long. I need another ten boxes of each set of your tea."

She bit her lip, "If you can come in tomorrow I'll have everything finished. My tea sold quite a bit yesterday but I can make more by tonight."

He nodded, "I'll pay now and expect to see everything set up by tomorrow."

Once she swiped his credit card he turned to leave when her voice stopped him, "Oh, aren't you staying for some tea?"

"I see no point since you need to make more to fulfill my order. I would only be depleting the wares I bought," Kyoya said trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. In truth he knew she did nothing wrong but couldn't help feeling bitter.

"Oh, no I have enough. I made extra over the week in case you came to pick up a big shipment like last time. I even have enough to tide me over for the garden club that comes in the morning," she said.

He turned with a frown, "Then why do you need an extra day?"

She smiled, "Right now all of the tea leaves are stored in my Tupperware. I had to wait for a new shipment of glass boxes and I would like to clean them all before I put the tea leaves in them."

"Oh," was all he said.

A tense silence filled the air. Ame was the first to break it, "You could stay for some tea if you'd like. I haven't seen you in a while so I didn't know if you wanted some."

He kept a professional façade but in truth he wasn't sure if he should or not. He didn't feel much like eating or drinking anything at the moment, the man's smirk still fresh in his mind.

She noticed his hesitance, "If you have somewhere to be that's alright. It was selfish of me to ask since you said you couldn't stay long."

In the next moment he found himself sitting at the table and getting poured a cup of raspberry tea (he planned to stay rational), "Why did you say 'it was selfish of you' to ask?"

Ame looked a little embarrassed, "Ah, well…because I was sort of hoping you would stay for a cup."

"Why?"

He was startled by the sweet, chagrined look on her face, "I got so used to seeing you around here that I thought something might've happened when a week passed without you dropping by. I was also sort of feeling like we were becoming friends."

He stared at her. Noticing his gaze she gave a tiny smile, "Sorry, was I presumptuous in thinking that?"

Kyoya sighed heavily, wondering what was happening to him, "No, I suppose not."

A comfortable silence settled between the two and for a moment Kyoya felt like nothing had changed. Then the man's face resurfaced in his mind and it was all he could do to not break the cup in his hands.

"-change."

He looked up, "Could you say that again? I didn't hear you."

She giggled, "I was just saying this is a nice change. After having my loud, gaudy cousin Alex staying with me and Nina's constant blaring music under one roof I thought I would never get any peace and quiet."

He blinked and remembered her talking about an 'Alex' before, "You mean that man that was in here?"

She nodded, "Yeah, he's my mom's sister's son. With the way he acts and looks people can hardly believe we're related."

Kyoya let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. A hysterical moment passed where he wanted to laugh but said without thinking, "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

They both paused and she looked at him with confusion, "W-what?"

He mentally kicked himself and quickly said in the most professional way he could, "I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time I was here. You shouldn't have had to listen to my problems."

Her features softened, "Oh you don't need to do that. I'm used to have people like Nina and Alex around so compared to them you were a saint, haha."

Kyoya kept eye contact with her, "Even so, I would still like to make it up to you."

She grinned, "Okay, sounds fun."

* * *

"Ne, ne, Takashi! When can I meet her?"

"…"

Honey frowned. They were sitting at a café Nina had discovered after her and Mori trained together one afternoon. She fell in love with the strawberry shortcake they served so he brought his sweets-loving friend to try it out. He loved the cake too and claimed she had excellent taste, however at the moment they were at an impasse.

Since they met a week ago Mori and Nina had spent nearly every afternoon that they could together for a few hours before returning to their lives. The two never talked about their personal lives, instead focusing on things that interested them at that time. He had wanted to introduce her to his family but wasn't sure what exactly they were to each other then. Until he figured it out he didn't plan on moving things forward too quickly.

"Oh! Is that her?"

"No," he sighed. Unfortunately Honey had been impatient to meet the girl his cousin got along with so well but since he couldn't he took the time to try to guess who she was by pointing out every redhead that walked by.

"What about her? She's pretty."

Mori sighed and turned around.

Noticing his pause Honey stood, his eyes shining, "Eh? Was I right...Takashi?"

Mori stared at the sight across the street. Nina was yelling in English with what looked like an American male model. He stood and began walking towards the two, Honey quickly trailing his heels.

"Jeez! I already told you I'm not going with you!"

"Why not?" he grinned.

She gave him a nonchalant expression, "Who would wanna go anywhere with a creep like you?"

He clutched his chest, "Hey! Words hurt!"

"I think you'll survive," she said with a raised eyebrow.

Laughing he picked her up in his arms, "Then maybe I'll just kidnap you?"

"Let me go you ass!" she yelled.

Suddenly a fist connected with his face, causing him to drop Nina.

"She told you to let go," Mori growled.

The man stood, "Who the hell do you think you are? You looking for a fight?"

"Maybe I am."

"Wait!"

The two men looked at Nina, "This is all a misunderstanding! Mori this is my friend Alex, we were just kidding around! He's not really a creep…well, not a dangerous one anyway."

Mori blinked, feeling the blood rush to his face in embarrassment. Before he could give an apology Alex suddenly slammed his fist hard into Mori's cheek.

"Alex! What the hell?!" she snarled.

"He started it!"

"I don't give a damn!"

"It's alright," Mori said standing back up, "I did deserve that. I apologize for my presumption."

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Wow, Japanese people really are polite."

"Everyone's more polite than you are," she muttered.

Nina suddenly blinked at the short blonde boy who was staring intently at Mori's cheek, "Who is he?"

"What is going on here?!"

They all turned to see an attractive young American man with light ash colored hair and gray green eyes that was slightly taller than Nina.

* * *

Ten minutes later the group of teens were found sitting in the noddle shop Nina and Mori had visited the week before. The only one eating anything was Honey who had ordered some cake.

Nina sighed, "I'm not sure I can handle you two staying here another day. I'm already in danger of you guys getting me deported."

"Don't blame me. Alex is the idiot punching everyone today."

"Didn't I say he started it!?"

"Enough, okay?" she snapped, "Mori, sorry again about what happened. Believe it or not the gray-haired guy sitting next to me is my fraternal twin brother Donnie and the idiot redhead next to him is his boyfriend Alex."

"My hair isn't gray!"

"Yeah, it's blonde."

"It's not blonde!"

She sent them both a silencing look, "We've been having this discussion for years. Gray, blonde, light peach, ash, or whatever there is yet to be a name for the color of your hair and I would rather not start the argument now."

"Hm,"

All heads turned to look at Mori who began chuckling in a low tone.

"Takashi?" Honey said tilting his head.

After a few more laughs Mori cleared his throat and gave the trio a warm smile, "You are all very interesting people," he said fondly thinking of the other Host members.

They stared at him in shock.

Alex's face broke into a wide smile, "You have one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen! You're almost as pretty as me! No wonder Nina is fucking you!"

The only noises that were made in that moment were by the restaurant owners who thankfully didn't know English.

"Donnie?"

"Yeah?"

"If you want to keep that boyfriend of yours I suggest you two make it to your flight."

The air was so tense even Alex made no objections as the two gave her a final hug before leaving in a taxi.

Nina sighed heavily, "I love those two to death but I don't think I've ever met a more exhausting pair of people."

"Aren't you going to miss them?" said Honey.

She gave them a grim smile, "It's hard to when they're always visiting. I'm living with a friend who happens to be one of Alex's favorite cousins so he and Donnie are always flying here. Alex makes a lot of money acting and Donnie teaches at a private school so money's not a problem. Alex is actually going to be starring in a movie soon which will take up most of his time. They came to stay with us before the shooting starts."

Nina gave a little whisper to Mori, "Again, I'm sorry about what Alex said. He likes to interpret things his own way. I'm also sorry about the way he said it in front of your little…um, who is he again?"

"I'm Takashi's cousin Mitsukuni Haninozuka," he giggled at her blank stare, "You can call me Honey."

She shook his hand, "I'm Nina Fern. I apparently have the shortest name in Japan."

"I'm so glad! Takashi told me about you but wouldn't let me meet you," he pouted.

The redhead gave him a smile, "That's a shame. I love kids and you're the most polite one I've ever met."

"He's eighteen."

For some reason crickets began chirping despite the sun shining brightly.

"Ehhhh!? No way!" Nina yelled, "It's true that you're pretty short and you have big eyes but how do you keep your skin so smooth and what do you put in your hair? Even Alex's make-up artists aren't that talented!"

It was some hours later before the group finally parted. Nina had to promise Honey about twenty times to hang out again before he would let her leave. All in all she enjoyed her time with them, making countless remarks about how shockingly different the two are. Like with Mori she immediately challenged the Lolita boy to a fight (remembering how Mori said his whole family was trained in martial arts) and was overwhelmed by his ability. With the promise of a rematch and turning down Mori's requests to walk her home she bid them both 'goodnights'.

* * *

The moon was beginning to climb when she finally returned to the store. Nina was surprised to find Ame downstairs sitting at the little table drinking tea, "I thought we were taking the day off today? I know you don't have set hours but now I feel guilty for leaving you here."

"I'm not working," she said staring down at her teacup, "I'm thinking."

"About what?" she said plopping down on the other chair.

"Well, Kyoya-kun…Glasses," she emphasized at Nina's confused expression," Is taking me to dinner tomorrow."

"HA! I knew it!"

"Knew what?" she frowned.

"I knew he wanted a piece of my Ame," she giggled.

Ame frowned, "Since when am I yours? And it's not what you think; it's more of a 'thank you'."

"Thank you? For what, did you save his life?"

Ame froze.

Nina's eyebrows rose, "Are you serious?! What happened? Are you alright?"

Ame waved her hand, "I'm fine. It actually happened before you came here. I was free running one day-"

"Ah, free running," Nina said with a dreamy look on her face, "Why did we ever stop doing that? It was so much fun."

Violet eyes narrowed, "Because Alex forbade it ever since Donnie broke three of his ribs and an arm."

"He recovered didn't he?"

"Such a caring sister you are," Ame muttered, "_Anyway_ as I was saying, I got bored and was on the roof anyway so I decided to free run for a bit. After I started to come home I saw some dirty bum holding up a guy in a uniform. At first I didn't know if I should bother doing anything but when I heard him cock a gun I jumped from the roof and beat the shit out of him."

"And he's just now thanking you for it?"

"He didn't know it was me."

"How couldn't he?" she asked surprised, "You don't exactly blend in with that hair and those eyes."

Ame sighed, "I was wearing a hoodie and some jeans but either way I didn't want him to know who I was. I'm supposed to be the sweet charming shop girl. I'm not gonna gain the same reputation I did in Brooklyn."

"Hey, that was _our_ reputation, and we were just showin' the town who's boss," Nina grinned.

"Whatever, the point is, he's taking me out for a thank you dinner but I'm considering just turning him down."

"What?! You can't!" Nina pouted.

Ame rolled her eyes, "Why not? It's not like it's a real date and even if it was I'm not interested in rich guys."

Nina stood, "Listen to me Amethyst, I love you but I am tired of seeing you spending your days off _at home_! I'm not asking you to have sex with him on the first date but do _something_ exciting. You've toned it down so much."

She gave her a dirty look, "You know, you fight all the time with Alex but you have no idea how alike you are."

Nina ignored her, "Let me restate this; tomorrow you're closing up shop-"

"Everyone seems to be committed to making my business go under," Ame muttered.

"-Going with me to shop for a new dress-"

"Can't I just wear-?"

"-_And_," she emphasized, "You will be gorgeous and ready to receive, pun intended."

"I may work till midnight tomorrow to make up for the lost sales."

"You are going on that date or so help me every night at three in the morning I will come into your room and spray you with aerosol cheese and whipped cream."

* * *

"I hate you so much right now."

Nina peeked behind the changing room curtain, "I told you no sundresses! You're going to a restaurant, not picking blueberries in the forest."

"Shut up."

A couple moments of silence passed between the two, "You know, you really should be honest with the guy."

"…what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Nina sighed, "Reputation or not, you can't keep pretending you're this sweet little girl from America. I know you want a fresh start but if this guy really does start liking you then the truth's gonna have to come out sooner or later."

Behind the curtain Ame clutched a dress tightly, "Yeah, I know."

* * *

**_Yay. You all finally got to meet the mysterious Alex and Donnie. Some of you were probably hoping their apperance would create drama but I said "Screw the drama and bring on the gays" :D_**

**_Seems like our beautiful shop owner has a couple of skeletons in her closet but what could they possibly be? Find out in the next chap. Remember to review :D_**


	6. Chapter 6

_***Dr. Nick voice* Hi everybody! *Normal voice* (as if you can hear me) Okay, sorry this chapter took so long but you have no idea how hard it was for me to write this chapter. The beginning was always going to happen but believe it or not the middle and end were changed about six or seven times in an effort ot get a few points across before the story could continue. I actually have an entire file in Word titled 'Scraps from chapter six' that's about ten thousand words long x.x''' Anyway, more fun stuff will be in the next chapter and I doubt any will take as long as this one so before I continue babbling I'll just let you read.**_

**Disclaimer: Mistrelia of the Ice does not own Ouran High School Host Club. Is there a point to this anymore?**

* * *

It was well late into the night when the Host Club members had begun to feel tired. It was sort of an annual event for everyone in the club to drop by Hikaru and Karou's mansion to be measured for their next set of costumes. Despite being able to just send over the measurements it also doubled as a way for them to spend time together outside of school, however, one of their own was missing tonight.

"And I had the perfect hat for Kyoya to try on," Hikaru pouted holding a monstrosity of cloth.

"Where is he anyway?" asked Haruhi, who was dressed in a 1970's gangster outfit.

Tamaki, who was dressed in a Geisha fashion (don't ask, it's Tamaki), shrugged, "He said he had something important to do but-oh, here he is now," he said looking at his phone which had suddenly begun to ring. Putting him on speaker phone a blast of noise suddenly burst through from the phone:

_FUCK, FUCK, FUCK YOU_  
_AND ALL YOUR BULLSHIT_  
_FUCK, FUCK, FUCK YOU  
AND ALL YOUR DRAMA BITCH  
JUST FUCK YOU, JUST FUCK YOU  
SUCCESS IS THE BEST REVENEGE!_

"_WILL YOU TURN THAT OFF?!"_ an angry voice yelled in English.

"K-Kyoya?" Tamaki said shocked and red faced.

"_Tequillaaaaaaa! Woooo!"_

"_Put your shirt back on!"_

"_Glasses, stop staring at my daughter's tits!"_

"_I'm not staring!" _Kyoya's voice snarled back, _"She's the one who took it off and for the last time my name is Kyoya!"_

"_Daaaaaaance!"_

"_She's not even your daughter!"_

_-BOTH KNEES_  
_THAT'S THE ONLY TIME YOU'RE GOOD FOR ME__  
__LICK IT UP, SUCK IT DOWN_-

"_I'm trying to make a call!"_

"_Then go outside!"_

"_You motherfucker! You can speak English?!"_

"_I never said I couldn't!"_

"_Put your shirt on!"_

"_Where's the rest of the vodka?!"_

The group listened to the screaming, yelling, and screeching music through the phone. With the way everything mixed together they could barely understand what they were saying, much less discern one voice from another. The music was also causing a harsh amount of static.

Finally in a much clearer voice they heard Kyoya, _"Tamaki! My father is out of town but if anyone calls let them know I am with you and the others! Don't worry, I'm fine! I have to g- GIVE ME BACK MY GLA-"_

The call ended.

Everyone stared shocked at the phone, mouths hanging open. Mori was so stunned he forgot to cover Honey's ears, which were so red they looked about ready to bleed at any moment. Thanks to their status and family businesses (in Haruhi's case, her brilliance) everyone had learned English early and, unfortunately, could understand every word. The only noise made for a long time after that was the dial tone.

* * *

_***Three hours earlier***_

"He's here!"

"I'm not going."

"What? Why not?"

"I look stupid."

"You look sexy now get your ass down here!"

"Just tell him I'm sick."

"Amethyst so help me god I will snip your violin strings."

"I can buy new ones."

"Don't make me burn the damn thing!"

"…"

Kyoya watched as Nina yelled up the stairs to her roommate. He had arrived in a standard dark gray suit and a sleek, expensive black car. He gave his driver the night off and since his father was still away there was no one to question him for now. Fortunately he had overheard the girls speaking in their native language when he came to pick up the tea for the Host Club. Ame had made a comment about how she was worried Kyoya would have a chauffeur drive them around. He wasn't sure why it mattered but from the tone of her voice she seemed quite bothered so he took it upon himself to drive. Normally the legal age in Japan is eighteen but exceptions were given for an Ootori man.

"…alright, I'm coming down now."

As she descended the stairs Kyoya saw strappy black sandal clad feet first, followed by long ivory legs, to a plain, simple black dress that feel just past the knees with straps that crisscrossed on her neck and connected to the back, and around her shoulders was a sheer, ethereal, white pashmina scarf draped around her shoulders. On her arm was a large black leather purse.

He would have complimented her natural grace and the lovely dress but said instead, "Why are you wearing a wig? Your eyes are different too."

Instead of the usual short cut he was used to seeing, Ame's hair was now a jet black color and long enough to put into a lush, slightly messy bun with locks of hair on either side of her face. Her eyes still had a lovely sparkle about them but were a dark blue now.

Nina frowned, "Because she refuses to dye her hair and even if she doesn't, nothing fancy that goes with her hair can go with her eyes too!"

Ame glared back, "Well excuse me for not wanting to change my whole image for a single night. Besides, I look fine in my normal clothes!"

"And I already explained Glasses is probably going to show up in a tux and a fancy car, which he did, so there's no use for your normal clothes!"

"Well I'm wearing it aren't I?!"

"Ahem."

They both jumped a little, remembering Kyoya was there.

"Shall we?" he said opening the door for her. He didn't want to bother getting into a conversation about fashion with two young women.

"Thanks," Ame muttered.

As the left Kyoya opened the car door for her as well but before he closed it Nina suddenly said, "Have fun you two! Call me if you stay out any later than midnight!"

"Stop acting like my mother," she snapped when Kyoya started the car. Her friend waved at the two as they drove away.

Ame leaned back in the seat, making sure her wig was on correctly.

Kyoya noticed something, "Are you alright?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

He cleared his throat, "You and Nina were fighting."

She sighed, "We've been having some issues lately."

The car slowed to a stop at a red light. Kyoya waited a few moments before asking, "Would you like to talk about it?"

The question was difficult for him to ask. He preferred not to involve himself in another's problems but she had done the same for him, not to mention her expression wore him down. Ame's eyes had lost their usual shine and he suspected it wasn't just because of the contacts.

She traced the creases on her purse, "It's nothing between us, it's just our families…well, do you remember Alex?"

"Your cousin?" it brought an odd comfort to Kyoya when he said that.

She nodded, "You didn't get to meet him but he and Nina's fraternal brother Donnie were staying with us."

Kyoya's grip tightened on the steering wheel but relaxed after her next sentence, "They're both in a relationship and we support them wholeheartedly but one of Alex's co-workers, he's starring in a movie by the way, was being an ass about it."

"How so?"

To his surprise Ame's gaze turned deadly and her hands gripped the leather purse in her lap, "There's a scene where Alex and that guy are shirtless and have to fight each other up close and _that guy_ acted like he was going to get raped at any second just because Alex is gay. He said he'd quit if they didn't find a new actor to replace Alex or rewrite the whole scene."

Kyoya had never seen Ame so angry before, "Well, they haven't fired him have they?"

Her words came out quickly, as if she had to spit out the words, "Of course not! Thank god the director knew better but I cannot believe how people can still be such assholes about things they obviously don't understand and just because he's gay doesn't mean he's going to hit on every guy he sees plus he had a boyfriend who-"suddenly she stopped, her chest heaving in fury. Finally after a few minutes of breathing she calmed down, "I'm sorry. I just get so worked up when anyone pulls that kind of crap. Alex is a great person and an amazing actor. He shouldn't be treated differently just because of something he can't control."

When they reached a stop sign Kyoya glanced sideways, "As long as he can do his job to the best of his ability then I see no reason for mistreatment."

"Right?" she agreed. Suddenly her smile grew wicked, "Thank god Alex was there."

At his confused expression she giggled, "Sorry, I forgot you didn't know. Alex has a twin sister named Alexandra. His full name is Alexander. We sometimes call them both Alex but she's known by 'Lexi' more. They're both gorgeous redheads with blue eyes and amazing skin as well as martial art masters but she's nothing like her fluttery brother," Ame laughed, "She used to hate Alex's choice of work but ironically she's starring in the same movie as him and since she's only doing this as a favor to her brother she threatened to quit and sue if they fired him for being gay."

"Well, at least things worked out," he reminded her, not wanting her to get angry again.

He was glad her smile was back, "She may not have liked the acting lifestyle but she more than proved herself of a skill she didn't know she had and was immediately given the lead role opposite of her brother. The movie is about a post-apocalyptic world where two demonic twins rise in power against the remaining humans of the world. Then the brother falls in love with a human woman and has to choose between joining the mortals or his evil sister in the fight for Earth."

"Ah," was his reply. In truth he didn't care for those kinds of movies but felt the need to keep up conversation.

She pulled something from her purse and handed it to him. He looked at it when they reached another red light. It was a flyer for the movie. A beautiful pale woman with long dark red hair stood on top of a mountain wearing strange, yet revealing clothing was grinning manically down at what he recognized to be Alex who looked bloodied and bruised and was wearing only pants, long scars across his chest. He appeared to be defending a pretty blonde woman with dark brown eyes who had a gun in her hand pointed at the woman on the mountain. The world around them was dark with bodies of creatures and humans everywhere.

Even he had to admit, it looked interesting. He was surprised the man who was grinning like an idiot and cuddling Ame just the other day had the ability to hold such an intense look of hatred for his twin sister.

"I'm so excited for it," she said hopping in her seat a little, "Nina and I are flying down for the premiere. This is gonna be his big debut!"

Kyoya stared at the road, "You really care about him."

It wasn't a question but Ame responded as if it was, "Well why wouldn't I? He's a good person with a big heart. Even though he's family he's still my friend. It's the same way with Donnie and Nina. As long as they need me I'll be there for them."

He was surprised by her honest answer, "They certainly are eccentric."

Ame sighed, "That's one word for them. I seem to draw people like them but they really are kind and I will always be a friend to good people."

"What do you think of me?"

They had already reached the parking lot of the restaurant and were now just sitting and talking. They would have reached it sooner but he circled the block a few times so she could finish. At his question her expression grew puzzled. This bothered him for a reason he didn't quite understand.

"I think you have a good heart and good intentions," she replied.

"Don't be so sure," he muttered darkly.

To his surprise she looked annoyed, "Don't give me that. Yes you have a harder than normal lifestyle but you're obviously not a bad guy because you consider me a friend even though I'm just a shop girl."

"How can you be sure those are my intentions?" he said slyly leaning towards her.

Ame rolled her eyes at his challenge, "Oh please. I pride myself on being an excellent judge of character and even if you did turn out to be a bad person I can handle myself. I already told you I'm related to two martial arts masters, plus I live with one. And besides," her expression softened a bit, "You're actually a pretty unique person."

That confused him. Evil, maniacal, driven, and even 'cool' as the lesser word were normally used when talking about him, but unique?

She shrugged, "Kyoya, you said it yourself that everyone around me is 'eccentric'" she used her fingers to quote the word, "But that's because they don't care about what anyone thinks of them. They just happen to be weird enough to be interesting," she laughed, "You're the same way though. You don't care about how people think of you. I think you could stand to smile a little more, and I mean a real smile, but otherwise I can tell you're perfectly fine with whom you are. You're the type it takes a little longer to get to know, but it's better to make people look for the real you than sell yourself upfront. I guess you could say you're a puzzle I want to solve."

The way she said it was a little confusing but to Kyoya the message was clear. She was a person who liked him the way he was and actually understood even just a little bit about his personality. If someone didn't accept him he had no problem cutting ties but this girl seemed willing to break past the barriers. She also felt there was nothing wrong with him. She wanted to figure him out.

Kyoya glanced at the clock, "We're twenty minutes past the reservation time so we might have to go somewhere else," he also didn't want to stop talking to her. Ame's words had sent a shiver down his spine. In a strange way he felt complimented, which was causing his heart to beat in an odd, erratic fashion.

Unfortunately her phone started beeping rapidly and her mood quickly tensed when she read the screen, "Actually, I have to make a stop home first."

* * *

They parked in the alley next to the building which was conveniently a spot reserved for if Ame were to buy a car. She apologized many times for which Kyoya waved off and accepted her offer to come in, curious about her anxiousness.

What he saw next was something he would not have had a million years to prepare for.

A person stood next to an excited looking Nina. The person was a man. An extremely tall man. This man had hair as black as night, three piercings on each of his ears, two on his eyebrows, and one on his lip. He wore black sunglasses, a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off and a picture of a few gory looking skulls, black jeans with rips and chains hanging off the pockets, and large black steel-toed boots. His muscled arms were full of black and white tattoos. One of them, Kyoya noted with surprise, was the word 'Amethyst' in kanji.

What happened next, Kyoya would never forget for the rest of his life.

The man beamed, held his arms open and said, "How's my favorite daughter?"

"Dad!" Ame yelled in happiness before leaping into his arms.

Once they embraced he swung her around. Nina moved out of the way to stand next to Kyoya where she snickered, "You might want to close your mouth. You look like an idiot."

He ignored her, confusion written all over his face. _That_ was her father?

Once he was done swinging her around he ruffled a handful of her hair, "Why'd you change it? I was just getting used to seeing my Christmas tree."

She pouted, "Stop calling me that. Anyway, Nina made me wear a wig since she couldn't find an outfit to match my hair."

"You're eyes are different too."

"Contacts. What are you doing here?"

He raised his arms above his head in a stretch that almost touched the ceiling, "I got a little time off from work and thought I'd come visit my favorite daughters."

"Meaning me," Nina grinned.

"_What kind of work accepts that?"_ Kyoya thought unabashed.

Ame frowned, "I thought I was your favorite?"

He laughed. It was a loud, rich booming sound, "You can be my favorite Christmas tree daughter. She's my favorite adoption," he joked.

"What about Donnie?" Nina giggled.

"My favorite gay adoption."

"What about Alex?"

"Uh…"

"Dad, Nina…" Ame said beginning to feel annoyed.

At that moment the man noticed Kyoya who was debating leaving before he drew any attention to himself. Social standing or not, he wasn't sure a police army of one hundred could take that _thing_ down.

In about one step he managed to cross the room to lean right into Kyoya's face, "And who might you be Glasses?"

"That's my friend Kyoya."

"Kyoya, huh?" he said, not moving, "You the reason my daughter is all dressed up?"

For the first time his brain failed him. The glasses were tinted enough to hide any expression he might have but Kyoya guessed he could only be glaring. He tried his best to keep his wits but really had no experience in dealing with men whose fists were bigger than his head unless they were his body guards as well as being interested in their daughter.

He froze as the thought processed, _'Interested?'_

The man's booming laugh startled him. Clapping him on the back (which nearly propelled Kyoya across the room) he spoke, "I like this one. Five minutes of me and he hasn't wet himself yet. Name's Max Richmond," he said holding his hand out.

Kyoya shook it and nearly had his fingers snap, "K-Kyoya Ootori."

"That's it?" Nina whined, "I hope when you meet the guy I bring home you do more than that."

He gave her a one-armed hug, "With the type of guys you bring home I _have_ to do more."

Nina laughed, "What can I say? I like strong men."

"She gets it from me," he smirked to Kyoya.

Nina raised an eyebrow, "Might wanna reword that big guy."

"Besides, she isn't related to you," Ame rolled her eyes locking the door behind Kyoya, "So, are we going upstairs or talking down here all night?"

"All right, all right. Her house her rules, let's go kids," Max said leading the way.

Once at the top Kyoya looked around. The upstairs was modest looking. The main room was western style living room which consisted of a wooden floor, flat screen TV, a faded blue sofa, rug, a few armchairs, and a big wooden table. To the left was a clean, open kitchen with all the necessary details, a window above the sink and a round table with four wooden chairs. Against the far wall was a closed door, and against the left wall was an open door that led to what looked like a bedroom. He assumed the other was another bedroom. He walked further in to see quite a few lovely artworks (he guessed were her mother's) hanging on the walls as well as a clock and some hanging decorations, such as a mirror.

Max immediately went to the kitchen and pulled out a few bottles of liquor from the cabinets, "What are you guys doing with all this booze?"

Nina sat on the counter and pulled a few glasses from a cabinet that was within her reach, "Donnie and Alex just got done staying with us."

He poured a generous amount of something Kyoya didn't recognize into both glasses, "Those gays have good taste," he laughed.

"So other than to get drunk, can you tell me the real reason you're here?" said Ame who had walked into the room with the closed door, though she left it partly open.

"_Petite Bijou_ finally opened in Japan," he called to her.

"No way! Really?" said Nina.

He nodded, "Yeah, just a couple blocks from here in fact," he said swallowing a generous amount of his drink before pouring more, "Figured we could go but my plane got delayed so we can go tomorrow."

"Sounds fun!" Ame called from the room she was in.

"Wait, you mean the restaurant _Petite Bijou_?" said Kyoya, who had been standing awkwardly.

"Yeah," said Nina holding her glass out to Max who poured in more of an unknown substance, "Ame's dad owns all of them."

His eyes widened in shock. _Petite Bijou_ was an extremely expensive, luxurious French restaurant that had quickly become one of Tokyo's hotspots for celebrities, power house business owners, and anyone of status. He actually had planned to take Ame there for the evening. He was lucky to get a reservation thanks to a last minute cancelation by another party but it was otherwise booked months in advance despite only being open for a week.

And _this_ man owned it.

"_You_ own _Petite Bijou_?" his manners were lacking significantly at the moment but Kyoya couldn't wrap his head around the idea.

Max seemed to understand his disbelief. Taking off his glasses he revealed ruddy, reddish brown eyes, "Just because I don't wear a suit doesn't mean I'm a bum on the streets."

Kyoya knew from his tone he was walking on eggshells, "I-I hadn't meant any dis-"to his shock Max suddenly began to laugh, "-respect?"

"Don't you know a joke when you hear one?" he laughed, "For a kid you're pretty uptight."

Kyoya's eyes narrowed. He may have been out of his element with these people but he wasn't about to be treated as a fool, "Just because I'm not your age doesn't mean I am an idiot."

He waited for the fury but was once again surprised by Max's reaction that had, for the first time given Kyoya a real smile, causing his eyes to soften to an almost brown which was surprising for a man with his apperance, "You're not bad. You don't shut up like most kids do around me."

"Despite the punk look, he's actually pretty harmless," Ame said walking out of the room. The wig and contacts were gone and she had changed into a purple tank top with comfy looking black sweatpants, "He's like a declawed bear. Still dangerous but you have a better chance of beating him."

"Who're you calling a punk?"

She ignored him and ran a hand through her hair, "Sorry, I don't plan on leaving these idiots alone in my home getting drunk so I figure I can just cook dinner for us here if you don't mind."

Kyoya was worried about her father's reaction to the words 'dinner' and 'for us' but the man was quickly getting an "A" in 'Let's do the opposite of Kyoya's expectations'.

He swirled the liquid in his glass, "That's my girl! Going to dinner with a guy who looks nothing like me!"

Kyoya glanced at the piercings, tattoos, shredded clothing and silently agreed with him.

"You could learn something," he said looking pointedly at Nina.

She looked offended, "For your information I haven't done anything wrong since I've been here."

He looked back at Ame.

She nodded, "She's actually telling the truth."

Nina gave him a smug smile, "I also only drink at home."

"You shouldn't drink at all," he said walking to one of the armchairs.

Nina crossed her legs, "Well it's not like I binge."

"Still, I'd better never see you in a car after even one drink."

"Yeah, yeah," she said cracking her knuckles.

One dinner of lasagna later, Nina had happily pointed out a CD Alex had forgotten to take with him when he left. The lyrics almost made Kyoya dizzy with shock. Another bottle of liquor later Nina had blasted the music, taken her shirt off (thankfully she was wearing a non-revealing), Max started to stumble, arguments broke out, and Kyoya had made a phone call to Tamaki he knew he would have to explain about either in the morning or at school.

* * *

_**Bet nobody expected that kind of phone call. Neither did they XD**_

_**I know this is short but thankfully 1,805 words of the next chapter are already written so it should be up in one or two days tops :D And don't worry, some relationshippy stuff will start heating up soon but I don't like rushing into things so we'll get there when we get there. A sneak peek to the next chapter involves waking up in someone else's clothing, acting like a commoner, Tamaki getting punched in the face, and feelings discovered for a certian guy. Have fun guessing and stay tuned :D**_

_**The song used today was Success is the Best Revenge by Blood on the Dance Floor. It's not a song you should listen to in public...**_

_**Remember to review :D**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_So, no use mincing words. I thought no chapter could possibly be harder to write than the last one because I knew how this one was gonna go, but it was actually even more difficult mainly because of my inability to portray emotions as well as I'd hoped. Anyway, this chapter gives more insight to the girls' pasts. Hope you enjoy._**

**Disclaimer: Screw you disclaimer, I feel no need to repeat myself.**

* * *

Mori was bored.

Well, bored wasn't quite the right word.

All he could think about was Nina. The Host Club members were exuberant and interesting but in his mind she was a class all on her own. In a span of a few weeks he had made more memories with her than any of the girls he had known for years in his school. Her natural beauty was obvious, but he greatly admired her courage and sense of character.

He smiled, remembering the time they visited a store together. Apparently the shop where Nina worked was doing so well it made her want to go on a spree with all the money she made. Upon entering they happened to pass by where the pastries were. A little boy was asking his mother to get the cake with the little blue toy truck on it for his birthday. She said they couldn't afford it and instead asked to get a much smaller cake in chocolate. The man said they didn't have chocolate anymore but he could deliver it to her house the next day so she had given him her address.

Once the woman left Nina made a beeline for the counter and slammed down all her money, shocking everyone. Instead of buying the cake with the little blue toy truck she and the man began making a giant, near perfect chocolate replica of it as a cake. It took twenty furious minutes of convincing and six long hours of preparation. It would have taken longer but Nina, (who explained she had worked in a bakery for an entire year in New York) had been a great help with all of the artistic details. Mori did menial errands, helping any way he could. Soon the cake looked better than the toy, which had been placed in the trunk of it as a bonus. When Mori had asked her about the shopping spree Nina waved him off, saying she couldn't think of one piece of clothing worth more than a child's birthday. It had taken that statement and a cute smile (with a bit of blue frosting on her cheek and a large smear of batter on her forehead) to convince him he was in love.

They hadn't seen much of each other since then. After that it occurred to Mori he had no way of contacting her except for the few times they would run into each other at the park. He longed to meet her again and even considered asking Kyoya to look up her information.

A sudden a flurry of snapping and crashing sounds, followed by the words "_SHIT, FUCK, FUCK, SON OF A BITCH, MOTHER OF-" _came from the branches above. Luckily, Mori stood and reflexively caught the figure before it hit the ground. Emerald green eyes blinked in shock, "Oh! Hi…"

If anyone asked Mori which surprised him more, Nina or the Host Club, he would say 'Nina' with a shocking certainty.

"Ow…" Nina winced. A cut on her cheek was steadily bleeding.

Mori wiped some of the blood with the sleeve of his jacket, "Are you alright?"

She looked down, "Yeah. It's just a scratch."

He noticed the sadness in her eyes, "Are you sure?"

She shook her head, "No..."

* * *

Kyoya woke up in a daze. He was lying on a comfortable but unrecognizable bed with green sheets and a dark green comforter. What were also different were his clothes. Instead of his suit he was dressed in gray silk pajamas. Suddenly the night before came rushing back to him. In a fit of anger he stood up, walked to the door, and slammed it open.

To his surprise, Ame was the only one in the room…and she was crying.

"Oh, Kyoya," she said quickly swiping a hand across her face, "I didn't know you were awake."

"I just woke up. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she lied.

He frowned and walked over to sit beside her.

She sighed, "Nina and I have to go back to New York."

His heart beat painfully, "Why?"

When she didn't answer he asked, "Is it the shop? Are you having problems?"

"N-no," she said glancing away, "The shop is fine, it's just…whenever Dad decides to drink it's usually because something's wrong. We didn't want to talk about it in front of you in case it was something family related but…"

"But what?"

He was startled when tears began to run down her cheeks, "Dad's brother, Gil, died."

Kyoya watched as she cried, unsure of what to do, "I'm sorry. Were you close?"

"Not really."

"Then why are you crying?"

She frowned, "He's my Dad's brother. I'm going to be upset."

He didn't know how to respond. She had a point.

She sighed, "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just worried. Dad's the youngest of three boys. His first brother already died before I was born."

Kyoya ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes, "Don't be. From what I've heard the first one was a dick."

His eyebrows shot up, "Excuse me?"

Ame rubbed her eyes, "Look, I'm not in the best mood and you slept over in my house. I think we can go past a few formalities."

He shook his head, "That's not what I meant. What happened?"

Ame bit her lip, "Well…if you wanna know you're gonna have to hear the whole story. Believe it or not my dad and his brothers used to be in a gang."

"_You don't say?"_ he thought but didn't dare say it out loud.

"They weren't the best of people," she continued, "But also from what I've heard their dad was an ass too. Anyway, his oldest brother's name is Giovanni. He ran some gang in Chicago that Gil and Dad were involved in. Every day was pretty much a day they tried to survive. Then my dad met my mom and all hell broke loose."

"How so?"

Ame suddenly smiled, "Apparently my mom was getting harassed by some jerks and my dad saved her or so he says. He thought he was a hero but it turns out Mom didn't talk to him no matter how hard he tried."

Kyoya was genuinely interested in the story, "Why not?"

She giggled, "She was mad at him. When he finally asked her what her problem was she told him it was _because_ he beat up those guys when she had it under control."

He once again thought about when Ame took down the man in the alley, _'Like mother like daughter.'_

"Believe it or not that only made him more interested in her," she said with a grin, "And he would follow her around or offer her rides on his motorcycle," her smile suddenly disappeared, "Mom's a strong woman and just as tough as anyone else but that didn't mean she liked what Dad was involved in. Apparently she always claimed she wasn't in love with him, but was always worried he was going to get hurt one day. Finally after a long time she gave in and told him she'd only be with him if he turned his life around and eventually he did."

"Then what is the problem?" Kyoya asked noticing her unhappy look.

She leaned on the arm of the couch, "Dad's brother Gil didn't like the thought of some woman 'taking away his Bro'," she said quoting the words with her fingers, "so he went to have a 'talk' with my mom, but guess what happened?"

"What?"

She suddenly snickered, "He called it love at first sight but she called it lust. Before that he'd never met her but afterwards he'd never leave her alone. Mom said she ignored him but Dad said he had to kick his brother's ass all the time. Gil was always trying to convince her to be his girl."

Kyoya was surprised by how amused it was making her, "And yet you're here."

She nodded, "Yeah. She had eyes only for my Dad and even had to beat Gil down on a number of occasions but they did become good friends and eventually she began to convince both the brothers to turn things around and do better with their lives, especially after she got pregnant with me."

"By Max?"

Ame shot him a dirty look, "Yes by Max. Like I said, Mom only had eyes for him. Things were going pretty well until Giovanni caught wind of the pregnancy. It pissed him off royally."

Kyoya frowned, "Was it because they weren't married."

Ame suddenly let out a bark of laughter, "Sorry. Sometimes I forget how proper you rich guys are. No, that stuff actually doesn't matter as much in America. It was what the pregnancy brought that affected things. With me coming along Dad wanted to marry mom, which he was always planning to do anyway, quit the business, and follow his dream to open a restaurant. Gil didn't really have a dream but went back to school to get his business degree," her eyes softened, "I'm glad she chose Dad but I think Gil was honestly in love with her. She really inspired him to be a better person."

"What about Giovanni?" he asked.

"Ah, yes" she said annoyed, "Him…well, he had a big problem. As it turned out a lot of his guys were more loyal to his brothers than they were to him and thanks to Mom he was about to lose half his gang so they could get better jobs and better lives. Since Giovanni was a narcissistic ass that needed to control people and all he could get were society's rejects this was proving to be a problem. Despite the fact that she was pregnant with his brother's child who was also his niece he planned to get rid of her. He figured if he could do that then things would go back to normal."

Kyoya was shocked, "He would go that far?"

She snorted, "He was known for worse. Dad knew he was gonna be a problem so he and Gil took Mom to Oklahoma so they could start over. They underestimated him, thinking that he wouldn't cross state lines and leave his precious gang just to get back at them."

"I'm assuming he did?"

Ame nodded, "Guns blazing. He felt his brothers betrayed him, you know how hardcore gangsters are…er, well I guess you don't," she said with a little laugh at his expression, "Basically he was a bad guy. Anyway, he broke into the house one day after my dad left for work but he didn't know Gil was there. He didn't want anything to happen to me or Mom so while she locked herself in an upstairs bathroom and called 911 he was duking it out and shooting bullets downstairs against Giovanni and three of his boys. In the end, no one but him survived though he did get shot about twice. Luckily nothing was permanently damaged."

Kyoya was amazed. Despite everything he had been through with his family there had never been any inter-family homicide, "So, what happened after that?"

She shrugged, "Not much. Gil was hospitalized and got better, Mom and Dad got married, and I was born. From what I've been told by Mom, Dad still blames himself for what Gil had to go through alone. He was really depressed after that and went through alcoholism and everything. They tried to help him but he was never the same. And now he's gone."

The two sat in silence for a little while before Kyoya spoke, "I know I only met your father for one night but he seemed perfectly fine."

Ame nodded, "Yeah, he does that. Mom says he has an escapist personality sometimes. When he doesn't want to deal with something is when tries to act the happiness. Once you get to know him it's kind of obvious. _Petite Bijou_'s opening was sort of a convenient excuse to get drunk."

Kyoya rubbed his temples, "I feel I have to say this; that name is a bit odd for a man like him to come up with."

Her smile turned grim, "He didn't. As weird as it is, Dad always wanted to name me Amethyst. My eyes were just a happy accident," a noise like a laugh escaped her lips before she spoke again, "He always called me his little jewel so in a way he did come up with the name but Gil suggested he call his restaurant by it."

He nodded, "I see."

"Growing up I didn't actually know him well. I think the drama with his brother and his secret love for his little brother's wife kept him distant so I'm not the one people should worry about. What I'm really worried about is how Nina's taking it all."

"Nina?" he said in confusion.

* * *

"You were adopted?" asked Mori.

The redhead nodded, "Yeah. When we were kids Donnie and I were given up for adoption and were taken by separate families. He went to some blue collar family that disowned him when he brought Alex home so the two ran away together and I got conveniently taken in by some drunks in Oklahoma who hated kids but wanted the state checks and tax refunds. I was always running off and getting into bad crowds. I was about fourteen when I met Ame. At first I thought she was a teacher's pet because she was already a senior by the time I was a freshman."

The two sat by one of the outside tables at the Red Komodo noodle shop. Mori waited patiently for her to continue with her story. He'd taken her in the shop to get a band aid for her cheek but they ended up staying to talk about her current predicament.

"Anyway, she graduated in a snap around the time her family moved to New York to open up her Dad's new restaurant. By then my 'dad' was trying to make up a little bit for my crappy childhood and asked me if I wanted to go to New York with him where he was planning to do something or other. I didn't really care so long as I got a chance to leave."

When she paused Mori put a hand on hers. She gave him a small smile, "It's okay. If anything these experiences made me who I was today. Anyway, Ame was the only person I knew when I got there so we started to hang out a lot. The problem was, even though I was somewhere new I was still bitter about life so I got into bad crowds," her gaze softened, the look in her eyes far away, "I am so grateful I had Ame there with me. Even though I was slipping away she always made sure I wasn't getting in too deep and kept my head above water. It was thanks to her I studied hard so I could be something. Then lo and behold, when I finally worked hard enough and realized I was just as smart as Ame, dad decides to die of heart failure."

He squeezed her hand. She sighed, "It's okay, we weren't close. I know it sounds mean but I was mostly worried about what I was gonna do. By this time I was sixteen and Ame was transferring back and forth from New York to Japan. She was running her shop, finishing college, and getting her business started all while making sure I was okay. It was decided that I would stay with her uncle Gil until I could figure out what I was going to do with my life. Problem was, after all the drama he was getting worse and worse into drinking and I couldn't handle that."

He nodded. She had already finished telling him the story.

Nina chewed a nail on her free hand, "He and I had some good days but my second month of sixteen was when I met Ame's cousin Alex and his boyfriend Donnie. That was definitely a shock. Donnie had a picture of me and him from when we were kids in the orphanage and he was so sure I was his twin. One blood test later I had a twin brother and it was decided I would move in with him and Alex," her smile turned real, "Those were the best times ever. I felt like for the first time I had a real family with those two. After a while though, I felt like I was sort of imposing. They were just starting their life together but here I come into the picture. It was fun while it lasted but just recently I asked Ame if I could move in with her. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with my life but I'm getting there. I just feel bad Gil died. He really tried to give me a good home but I don't blame him. He went through a lot and it wasn't his job in the first place."

She suddenly picked up her glass of water and took a long drink before sighing heavily, "Wow, I have never talked that long before."

He chuckled a bit, "You've gone through a lot."

She shrugged, "Yeah, but I see no point in being depressed. I had a hard life but I've always had people like Ame and Donnie I could count on so I try to smile for people like Gil or my birth parents who can't. Oh, Bro tracked them down by the way. They both died in a car accident and don't look at me like that, I already told you there's no point in getting depressed. I have good people who I can depend on when I need them."

To her surprise Mori had taken her hand and stood, causing her to stand as well. Pulling her into a hug, he rested his chin on the top of her head and murmured, "I hope you will depend on me."

Her eyes widened but softened in the next second, "Yeah, I will," Suddenly standing on her tip toes she pulled his head down to kiss his forehead, "You know, you really are an awesome guy. I expect to see you the moment I get back. You'll text often, right?"

With a light blush he smiled in agreement, "Of course."

* * *

Kyoya and Ame had spent the rest of the day together. Though most of it was in a comfortable silence, it was oddly pleasant, as if something had changed. He helped her a bit downstairs in the shop and even on a few occasions they would laugh together about something or other.

When it got late and Kyoya knew he could no longer put off the mountain of responsibilities waiting at home for him he asked her once again if she would be okay.

Ame nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm sure Alex and Donnie will be glad to see us despite the circumstances."

They stood in the room a little awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. To his surprise she suddenly hugged him, "Thank you for being there for me. I really appreciate it."

Hesitantly he hugged her back, "You're welcome."

They stayed that way for a few minutes, drawing an odd sense of comfort from each other. When they finally released each other Kyoya stopped before he reached the door, "How long will you be gone?"

She blinked in surprise, "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

Kyoya stared into her lovely jewel colored eyes for a few more moments before replying, "I would like to see you when you get back."

Instead of questioning him she searched around in her pockets for a moment, "Can I see your hand?"

He held it out to her. She quickly wrote a few numbers with a pen, "You can text me whenever and if you'd like I can call you when you get in."

Kyoya examined the numbers, "I would like that."

* * *

_**So...I know you were all expecting Tamaki's punch in the face but my confusing Word Document titles made a liar out of me so when I thought it was in this chapter it's actually in another so now you have a spoiler. Ah, well at least it's not important to the plot.**_

_**I know they both have somewhat of dramatic pasts but in all honesty, my characters aren't the type to sit around and mope. They're kick ass and always will be :)**_

_**Be sure to review :D**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Me again! *dodges missle* okay I know I haven't uploaded in a few days but I was visiting an old friend and a lot of stuff went down. Hope this chapter isn't too boring but the next chapter will be funny.**_

**Disclaimer: _Meh_**

* * *

One month.

It had been over an entire month since Mori had last seen Nina. Though they sent each other a multitude of texts and called occasionally, today was the day she returned.

Though they were expected to be back within the week, a great many things interfered with their return, most of them having to do with family, though Nina said she and Ame would be back some time in December.

'_But today is the day,'_ he thought with a smile. He was standing at the airport waiting for her flight to come in. Once it landed he quickly scanned the crowds for any sign of her lovely red hair.

Suddenly he heard a voice call his name before something pounced onto his back; the something being the very girl he was thinking about, "It's been so long! I missed you!"

He chuckled turning his head to see her shining eyes, "Me too."

She giggled and rested her chin on his shoulder, "You'd better have."

A pretty girl in a lime green dress with violet eyes and bright green hair carrying two large bags walked towards them, "You ever ditch me like that again and I will leave your stuff on the floor."

Nina laughed before tightening her hug, "Sorry Hun, but I had to see my Mori."

He blushed a little; by now used to her affectionate American ways but still wished they meant more.

Ame sighed and put down a bag to hold out a hand to Mori, "Nice to meet you. Please excuse the monkey I call my friend hanging on your back. I'm Ame."

He shook her hand. Before anyone blinked he suddenly picked up the bag she had set down and gestured for the other one.

Ame raised her eyebrows, "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

She gave him the bag and a grateful look, "Why aren't you ever that helpful?"

Nina stuck out her tongue, "I'm helpful when I want to be."

"Yeah, well, call me when that time comes."

"Mori?"

They each turned to see Kyoya looking surprised.

Nina rested her chin on top of Mori's head, "You know my Mori?"

"_Your_ Mori?" he asked.

Mori cleared his throat, "We go to school together."

"Ah," said Ame.

Nina frowned, "If you and him are friends I'm almost afraid to meet who else you hang out with."

Ame rolled her eyes, "Mori, could you lean down a second?"

He obliged. Ame quickly flicked Nina's forehead, "What the hell?"

She looked around as if nothing happened, "Where's-"

"Yoo-hoo!"

Walking through the crowd looking every inch a superstar was Alex. He wore black boots, ripped jeans, a tight white shirt with a strange graphic design, and a designer black jacket. His red hair was styled to a messy perfection and sunglasses hid his deep blue eyes; only one large, lumpy bag was in his hand. Many stared in fascination as he walked through the crowd, wondering just who he was.

Walking a few steps behind him was Donnie, wearing everyday shoes, blue jeans, and a white jacket. He looked uncomfortable with all of the staring.

Ame laughed, "What's with the saunter?"

Alex took off his glasses with a flourish, "You like? I'm going to be a famous superstar so I need a superstar walk."

Nina gave him a dry look, "Not really, you just look more gay than usual."

He scoffed, "Well, Donnie likes it, right Hun?"

They both looked at him questioningly, "I'm not getting into this again," noticing Kyoya he held out his hand, "Oh, hey, I don't think I met you yet."

He shook it, "I am Kyoya."

"You Nina or Ame's boyfriend?" he asked.

"As if!" Nina snapped.

He ignored her, "I'm an acquaintance. I was actually planning to offer a ride to your shop," he said to Ame.

She smiled, "That would be nice but-"

"NINA!"

They all turned to see a short blonde boy running through the crowd.

"Hey Honey!" she laughed.

Alex stage whispered to Ame, "Told you we weren't lying. I thought he was like six or something."

She simply stared.

Honey puffed up a little when he reached them and said to Mori, "I waited but you all took too long."

She leaned from Mori's back to ruffle his hair, "Sorry about that. We got caught up waiting for Miss Priss over there."

Alex 'harrumphed', "The gift shop had some cute sunglasses."

Ame gently pushed him forward, "Alright, let's go. I don't want to spend my first day back at an airport."

They all walked to the entrance, Nina chatting happily about being back when Kyoya asked, "I'm surprised you're here. Don't you have a movie to shoot?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah but there was an accident on set with one of the fighting scenes. Lexi, my twin sis who's doing the movie with me, and I had a fight scene to do in the rain. It was already raining and at first we thought it was lucky but the lightning got really bad all of a sudden and caught fire to the tent where a lot of the crew were. The tent wasn't little either. We needed it to keep a lot of the equipment dry."

Honey gasped, "Is everyone okay?"

Donnie looked grim, "Yeah, thanks to my idiot sister."

Instead of giving a hot retort, she spoke quietly, "You would have done it too."

"Well, you-ugh," he rubbed a hand over his eyes.

Kyoya looked at each of them, "I'm a little confused."

Ame reached up to take Nina's hand, who was still on Mori's back, "The fire department was taking too long so she ran into the burning tent and saved around five people. If you didn't notice her hair's shorter because the end caught on fire. She's lucky she only lost two inches."

Mori's eyes widened in shock and quickly set her down to face her.

Nina kept his gaze, "Don't look at me like that, you would've done the same."

He crossed his arms.

She did the same, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry and I'm not going to apologize."

Ame cleared her throat, "We'll wait for you guys at the car," giving the others a pointed look they walked away.

Alex put his arm around Donnie, "Don't be too hard on her."

He shot him a look, "That's rich coming from you."

He sighed, "Hey, we argue but she did a noble thing," he turned his attention to Kyoya, "It's thanks to her no one was severely injured but shooting was put off for a few days. We're actually only here for the day to check up on Nina and Ame. This happened just yesterday."

Honey looked at Ame, "Were you there too?"

She nodded, "I was actually one of the ones she saved. I got trapped behind a burning beam but Nina kicked through."

Without thinking Kyoya quickly grabbed her by the shoulder, "What? Are you alright?"

Ame looked surprised, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little burn on my hand but-"

He grabbed them and inspected each one. On her left hand was a bit of gauze he didn't notice.

Donnie grabbed Alex and Honey by the arms, "Come on guys. Let's figure out who's riding with who."

"Takashi and I brought the limo!" Honey said.

"Takashi?" Alex asked.

"It's Mori's first name," he responded.

Donnie sighed, "I already told you, they go by last names here."

"Oh"

"You'd think he'd know considering he's so fluent and I don't even know one sentence."

Once they were out of earshot Ame turned back to Kyoya, "Like I said, it's no-"

"You wanted this friendship right?"

Ame was startled by his intensity, "Y-yes?"

He continued to stare at her hand, "We're friends and yet you didn't think it important to tell me your life was in danger?"

She was silent for a few moments, trying to process his words, "I-I didn't think it mattered."

"Your life or our friendship?" he snapped.

Ame momentarily wondered if Nina and Mori were having a similar conversation, "No, I just meant since I'm fine I felt no need to worry you or anyone else for that matter."

He sighed, "Then I am proposing a new rule to this friendship. If your life is ever in danger you must tell me."

"You'll just be worrying yourself-"

"Are we clear?" he pressed.

She nodded, "Alright, I will but it really isn't necessary."

"It is to me!"

Ame blinked. After staring for what seemed like an eternity she surprised him with a gentle smile, "Well, I don't quite understand but thank you for worrying."

"I always will," he said calmly.

She felt her heart pound oddly at her words. Before either of them could react Nina suddenly ran past and grabbed her by the hand, "Let's go! Mori said they brought the limo!"

The green haired girl sent him a confused glace but allowed her to be dragged away.

Mori walked to stand next to Kyoya, "So it was Nina?"

He knew Kyoya was referring to all of the times the taller man had to excuse himself to take a phone call or read an odd amount of texts that would buzz through his phone for the past month. With a nod he responded, "She is different."

The Ootori man ran a hand through his hair. He himself had taken more than his usual bathroom breaks to respond to something Ame would send him whether it involved the funeral or Alex's movie shoot. By the third week he had stopped trying to deceive himself and accepted the way his heart would pound when his phone rang and her name would flash on the caller ID or the way his hands would sweat whenever he heard a man's voice in the background. Thanks to weather patterns as winter arrived early her flights kept getting canceled. When she'd told him they finally found a plane back he had put his phone on an alarm and checked the clock more times than he would say.

Seeing her smiling face and hearing the danger she went through only assured him what he knew all along. He was fully and completely a fool in love.

'_A fool I am,'_ he thought on the ride to her shop. The others were in the limo but Ame had chosen to ride in his car with him to 'get a moment's peace'. Kyoya stared out the window trying to get his thoughts in order, most of them consisting of his father. He knew it could never work. Despite the success in her father's restaurants and her mother's paintings (he still couldn't believe she had a female lover after the story Ame told him), they simply had no status or social standing as well as the kind of wealth it would take for approval. In fact, it was only a matter of time before he would be attending meetings for a proper bride.

A gentle hand on his pulled him from his thoughts. He turned with a questioning look.

Ame made a few circles with her thumb, "I never apologized to you before, so I wanted to say I'm sorry, but that means if anything happens to you I'd better be the first to know," she said sternly but with a smile, "I worry about you too, after all."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "I assure you, my parachute is double checked every day."

She looked annoyed, "Oh haha, so you do make jokes. That's not what I meant smarty pants," Ame suddenly looked a little shy, "Dad is a workaholic and would get dizzy all the time unless I reminded him to eat. You seemed the same way and I nervous thinking if you got your meals and if you drove yourself around and if you got dizzy and…"

She grew silent when he placed a hand on her cheek. Kyoya leaned in, not sure what he was doing or why, but couldn't stop. His heart did strange things when Ame said she worried just as much as he did.

At that moment a loud scream sounded from behind them. They both looked out the back window to see Nina standing through the sunroof of the limo, her hair whipping in the wind.

Ame frowned, rolled down her window, leaned slightly out of it and yelled, "PUT YOUR HEAD BACK IN! REMEMBER THAT GIRL WHO DIED BECAUSE A BIRD FLEW INTO HER THROAT WHEN SHE DID THAT?"

Nina yelled back, "THAT WAS LIKE A ONE IN A MILLION CHANCE!"

"I DON'T CARE! YOU ALREADY TEMPTED FATE WITH THE BURNING TENT!"

"BUZZ KILLER!" she called before getting back in.

Ame sighed, "I swear, she scares the hell out of me. How Mori handles her I'll never know."

Kyoya ran a hand through his hair, "I wanted to ask how they met."

He listened while she spoke hoping to get his and her mind off what almost happened, _'Friends,'_ he thought, _'that is as far as it can go.'_

* * *

By the time they reached the shop it was later in the afternoon, however once they had all gotten upstairs was when Alex revealed his bag was full of various kinds of liquor, "A toast to us being alive after yesterday!"

Ame face palmed, "Yeah, only to die of liver failure."

Nina sifted through all of the bottles, "How in the hell…?"

Alex grinned, "Picking up sunglasses wasn't all I did."

"You're not really going to drink all of that?" Kyoya asked in shock.

Nina had already opened something and began to drink, "Yeah, because we're going to drink it all ourselves," she said sarcastically.

"Though we could," Donnie said patting his stomach, "We've tried."

"But tonight, cheers to all!" said Alex pulling out the glasses.

To their surprise Ame quickly took a swig from Nina's bottle, "Tonight I'm joining you."

"What?"

She took another drink and looked at the three Host members, "No pressure guys. If you don't want to drink you don't have to."

Donnie handed Mori a glass, "But if you do then there's plenty."

Kyoya and even Honey were surprised when Mori threw back the entire glass and set it down like it was nothing.

Alex raised his eyebrows, "That was Everclear…"

"Shit," Nina breathed.

Mori kept a stoic face but Kyoya noticed his eyes looked a little smug.

Donnie noticed as well, "Alright. If you're gonna be a big shot then you'll go against me."

"Go against?"

Nina laughed, "Glasses are you serious? You've never played drinking games?"

He frowned, "I don't have time to get drunk whenever I wish. Besides, aren't you seventeen?"

She shrugged, "We don't drink every hour on the minute but we went through hell yesterday so don't judge. Besides, I know what I can handle."

Kyoya remembered chasing her up and down the stairs with Ame and doubted that. Sighing and knowing he may regret it he picked up one of the glasses and took a drink.

Once midnight hit Nina was running around in a bra and panties, Ame was chasing her, though stumbling a bit, Mori and Donnie were unconscious, Honey and Alex were laughing at everything that moved and Kyoya was throwing up in the bathroom.

By three in the morning everyone was somehow sober enough to eat various things Ame managed to not burn.

By four thirty everyone was unconscious in various spots on the floor. Thankfully, Ame was conscious long enough to turn the oven off.

* * *

Host Club was hell.

It took every ounce of strength Kyoya had to not snarl at everyone who talked to him, though his patience with Tamaki was severely lacking. He didn't even have Ame's Berry Tea to relax his senses.

"Kyaaa!"

He winced, _'At least one good thing has come from this.'_

Mori was swarmed with customers. Thanks to his exhaustion he was deliriously charming, which was a change from his usual demeanor. For the past month Mori had seemed to only just tolerate the girls. Oh, he was as polite as usual but instead of entertaining the girls he was always running off with his phone. Honey was no help but would sit with an odd smile whenever Mori excused himself.

At least now he knew why, though knowing wasn't helping to dull his headache.

Suddenly the screaming grew louder but instead of it being by Mori's table everyone was suddenly staring at the entrance. He raised his head and groaned.

There, standing by the door, looking shockingly handsome was Alex. This time he was wearing sneakers, torn black jeans, and a gray shirt with some sort of logo on the front and no sleeves, showing off his muscled arms. A thick, black studded collar was around his oddly slender neck. Kyoya couldn't believe that anyone who drank about two gallons of alcohol could look as amazing as he did.

However, at the moment, Alex couldn't have looked more confused by what he saw; Rich girls in puffy yellow dresses drinking tea and eating cake while being entertained by rich (excluding Haruhi) handsome boys everywhere.

Suddenly one girl broke from the pack of admirers, rushing forward with personalized stationary and a pen, "You're my uncle's cousin's son's stepbrother's lead actor Damien right?"

With a smile that could have rivaled Tamaki's (and quite possibly have beaten) he said in flawless Japanese and a low, sexy tone, "In my new movie I am known as Damien, but you lovely young ladies may call me Alex."

Very nearly every girl swooned. The girl standing in front of him said in a shaky breath, "A-A-Alex, will you give me your autograph?"

"Of course," he grinned.

"Mine too!"

"Me too!"

"Don't forget me!"

"You're my new favorite actor!"

"What's your movie called?!"

"Ladies, ladies," he grinned, "You may all see me and my stunning twin sister in theatres this March in _Bond of Blood and Fire _ in America but at the moment I must excuse myself."

"No!" all of the girls whined.

He nodded, "Yes, but don't worry," he locked eyes with Kyoya, "I will visit again soon."

Kyoya nodded, understanding the message. Once Alex left he noticed Mori's slightly fearful gaze and knew this was not turning out to be the best day.

* * *

"Damien from _Bond of Blood and Fire_ was here!?" the twins said excitedly at the same time.

Honey looked at them and said innocently, "You know Alex-chan?"

They both quickly unrolled a poster that came out of nowhere. Kyoya recognized it as the same flyer Ame had shown him.

"He and his sister Venus-"

"Don't you mean Lexi?" asked Kyoya.

They both shushed him, "-are amazing!"

Tamaki examined the poster, "It looks like a scary movie."

"It's about demons," Hikaru grinned.

"And forbidden love," added Karou.

"Isn't there enough of that around here already?" Haruhi muttered.

"How do you three know him?" Tamaki asked.

Suddenly the doors burst open, revealing the same furious looking man that was on the poster. He crossed the room quickly with long strides and pointed a hand at them, "What the hell are you playing at!" he said, too angry to switch languages.

Kyoya sighed, "It's not what you think-"

"Not what I think?!" he said incredulously, "First I overhear that guy over there asking my Donnie for approval about Nina last night and you" he shoved a finger in Kyoya's face, "Are so obviously head over heels for my Ame that you both want to make me throw up and yet you turn around and flirt with about fifty rich girls from your school a day and call it a damn club!?"

They all gasped in surprise. Honey smiled up at Mori, "I was right! You do love her!"

Alex put a hand on his hip, "Apparently not with how many girls I saw swarming around him today."

"Wait, wait!" said Tamaki, "What is going on?"

"That's what I would like to know," Alex said with crossed arms.

Hikaru and Karou walked up to Alex, "Is this a bad time to ask for an autograph?" asked Hikaru.

Still keeping his glare at the two he signed the poster with the same flourish as the girl with the stationary, "I'm waiting for an explanation."

Kyoya rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Tamaki, please explain what the Host Club is first."

He stepped up, cleared his throat, and used the speech he prepared for that particular question, "Only those with excellent social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here at the elite private school of Ouran Academy. The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys who have too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful."

"So in other words, you guys are prostitutes without the sex," he said dryly.

Tamaki gasped and spluttered. Thankfully Haruhi decided to speak up, "It's basically a club for boys to learn how to be charming hosts."

He looked down at her face for a few moments before asking, "Then why are you here?"

"What are you talking about?" said Tamaki putting an arm around her shoulders, "Haruhi is a boy one hundred percent."

Alex frowned, "I don't think so. I can tell who has a dick and who doesn't."

"Language around a lady!" Tamaki snapped.

He grinned, "See? I was right."

"I-well-you- augh!" he said throwing his hands up in exasperation.

The twins laughed on either side of him, "You broke the king."

Alex blinked, seeing them both for the first time, "Huh…another set of redheaded twins. And here I thought my sis and I were the only ones. I'm Alex."

"Hikaru"

"Karou"

"Nice to meet you. Now then," Alex said, "You guys swear there's no screwing around?"

Mori nodded as Honey smiled, "Takashi is a good person!"

Kyoya crossed his arms, "Though this is a proper establishment, I see no need to check on my behavior as I am not in love with Ame."

"You're in love!?" said Tamaki.

"Takashi is!" Honey said bouncing up and down.

Mori blushed but said nothing.

Tamaki suddenly raised a hand, "We have to meet these ladies!"

"Here, here!" said the twins.

Kyoya rubbed a hand across his face, "Do what you want, just don't involve me."

Alex frowned and took Kyoya aside, "Donnie and I leave today but I wanted to talk to you. I don't know your personal life or really anything about you but from what I've seen you're not a total drag."

He didn't bother responding.

"Let me just say this, do you really want to just let her go?"

"..."

* * *

**_Dun dun dun; we almost had a kiss goin' on and now the Host Club wants to meet the girls. What kind of hilariousness ensue?_**

**_Review and find out :D_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Welcome back everyone! *Dodges knives* okay yeah, it's been a long time but just so you know it's all AerisXArtemis' fault. Not seeing your friend for an entire four days thanks to a trip means you have to make up the time with each other doing stupid shit XD Also, blames Warm Bodies as well. The movie was amazingly fantastariffic and I had to see it more than once. If you were in a theatre where two girls were laughing so hard that it was annoying that was probably her and me. Anyway, onto reading the longest chapter I've done so far :D**_

**Disclaimer:...fuck you disclaimer.**

_*Note* This story will probably be moved to M rating :D_

* * *

He finally did it. He kissed her.

Who kissed who you may ask? Well, let's start from the beginning…

* * *

Nina groaned loudly, "Sooooo booooored!"

Ame sprayed the counter, "Saying 'I'm bored' over and over for the past two hours has yet to solve your problem and has only accomplished pissing me off more than I already am."

"Jessh, you're such a bitch when you're hung over."

"Well I wanted to pass out or throw up or anything but _someone_ had me chasing them all over the place just to put some clothes on."

"I didn't ask you to clothe me."

"Well I wasn't going to let those guys see you lying naked on the floor because I'm actually a good friend."

After a few angry moments of silence Nina raised an eyebrow, "If you spray that counter any more times it's gonna dissolve."

Ame slammed down the bottle before clutching her head at the noise, "I can dissolve the damn thing if I want," she said through clenched teeth.

Nina walked to stand in the middle of the room facing Ame, "For fuck's sake woman, you're the one who wanted to get drunk so-"

"I know!" Ame snapped before wincing, both from pain and chagrin, "I know…I'm sorry. I guess I'm still just a little freaked out over almost dying."

The redhead sighed and relaxed her shoulders, "Yeah, I get what you mean. It's hard acting normal for the guys when inside I'm still shaking like a leaf."

A tense silence passed before Ame giggled, "You know, even though it scared me shitless some messed up part of me wanted to laugh when your hair caught on fire."

"You whore," she responded but with a grin, "Next time you can make it out of the fire on your own."

"Oh thanks you douche."

"Dumbass"

"Bastard"

Nina stuck her tongue out, "Nu-uh, my parents were married."

They both laughed before a look of understanding passed between the two. Ame sent her a gentle smile, "Thank you again."

Nina waved away her thanks but returned the smile, "You saved my life a ton of times from the stupid shit I used to do. Just don't scare me like that again."

The violet eyed girl remembered the furious/panicked look on her friend's face as she repeatedly slammed her foot against a wooden beam, ignoring the fire that was quickly setting her hair and her foot ablaze. The smell of the burns had made Ame's heart leap into her throat and she had about screamed _'Get out before you burn with me!'_ but her foot had somehow broken through. Ame was in no condition to help, asthma from her childhood making her cough so badly that she was near retching. It was only by sheer force of will Nina had managed to carry her out. By then she'd ripped off her burning shoe and had taken her knife to slice off the end of her burning hair.

Ame put a hand to her forehead and laughed a desperate sound, "We really should watch the amount of lives we have. I think I have around three left."

Nina laughed the same pathetic sound, remembering their usual joke about being cats, "At least you're above zero. I think I _owe_ like ten."

Suddenly the door chimed behind them.

Before either could react, a pair of arms circled behind Nina, "You must be-!"

"Hyaa!" Nina quickly twirled and punched the figure in the face as hard as she could. When he howled in pain she brought her foot up to slam into his side, sending him reeling into the shelves.

"Nina!" yelled Ame, tossing the girl her gun.

She grabbed it, raced to kneel in front of the person and shoved the gun under his chin, "Who the fuck do you think you are grabbin' me punk?!"

The man stuttered in shock but was silenced when the barrel pressed harder under his chin. In an almost blur the gun was knocked out of her hands before Nina was slammed against the wall by…Mori?

"Mori?! What the fuck?!" she snarled.

"He's a friend!" he roared.

In a shocking display of grace Ame leapt over the counter, landed hands first on the floor and flipped back up, gun in one hand pointed at the door, "What about them?"

"Friends! They're all friends!" he shouted.

At that moment Hikaru, Karou, Haruhi, Honey, and a somehow hidden but still shocked Kyoya all walked through the door, "Tama-chan, are you alright?"

They all turned their heads to see Tamaki sitting as pale as snow on the floor, the only color on his face coming from the steady flow of blood from his nose, "Haah…"

Haruhi ran to his side and was attempting to stop the blood but the moment she touched his nose he squeaked in pain.

Against the wall, Nina grinned playfully up at the man pinning her, both arms held above her at the wrists in one large hand and another pressing her hip back, "Well this is fun but you really should buy a girl dinner first."

He quickly receded as if she were made of lava, a violent blush spreading across his face.

Nina rubbed her wrists absentmindedly. Mori noticed and his blush replaced with concern. Had he hurt her?

Tamaki moaned from the floor and Ame stepped up with a frown, "It was your own damn fault for sneaking up and grabbing her from behind."

"Did she have to attack me?" he yelled, keeping his head back.

Karou frowned, "You can't randomly hug everyone you meet."

Hikaru grinned, "But if you did we would really enjoy it."

Kyoya looked at Ame, "These are the idiots I told you were coming with us."

She tilted her head, "You did?"

He raised an eyebrow, "This morning?"

She shrugged.

"Over the phone?"

Nina laughed, "First rule about Ame, never call her for anything other than chatting. She's terrible at remembering stuff she heard over the phone."

"Really?" he said curiously.

"Excuse me!" Tamaki snapped, "But I'm having a crisis over here!"

Haruhi sighed, "It's just a bloody nose. Nothing's broken and the bleeding is already starting to stop."

Honey was staring intently at the shiny metal in Ame's hand, "Is that real?"

She looked at him questioningly for a moment before hiding it behind her back, "Uh, yeah but don't worry. She and I are both trained," Ame quickly put the gun in its usual place, "So…this is kind of awkward now but hi everyone, I'm Nina and that girl over there's…wait, sorry I mean I'm Ame and she's, ugh I'm tired," she said rubbing her eyes, "You can bring him upstairs to get cleaned up if you want."

Haruhi nodded her thanks and led Tamaki to the loft.

Once they were out of earshot Hikaru and Karou pounced, "That was so cool-!

"You were all 'punch' and 'wham'-!

"Why did you have an accent-?

"And are you Alex's cousin?"

Ame giggled, "She gets really into her 'street attitude' when she's mad. That's when her speech pattern changes."

She looked back and forth with a frown, "The accent is from Brooklyn and usually only comes out when I'm pissed and no, I am not his cousin. I'm his boyfriend's twin sister. She's his cousin," she pointed.

The twins said simultaneously, "Boyfriend?"

"He's homosexual," said Kyoya.

"An obvious homosexual," Nina said, eyebrow raised, "When did you meet him and how did you not know?"

Honey perked up with a bright smile, "He came to our school to tell Kyoya-"

Kyoya clapped a hand over his mouth, glasses flashing dangerously, "He just wanted to tell us you were okay after the drinking last night."

"Ohhh," said the twins in realization.

Hikaru grinned, "Is that why you two have been acting weird today?"

"You're hung-over?" said Karou.

Nina smiled and put a hand on Mori's shoulder, "I'm surprised he's still alive. He drank almost half of everything Alex brought over last night, which was a lot," she gave him an admiring look, "Drinking may not be my favorite thing to do but I was pretty impressed with how you handled yourself last night."

He blushed slightly from embarrassment and mostly from Nina's smile.

Ame giggled lightly, "And thank you for helping me cook last night. I pride myself on being an almost great a cook as Dad but when I'm drunk I'm pretty much no use to anyone. I appreciated it."

Despite it all, a light pink dusted his cheeks, "I didn't want your kitchen to catch on fire."

Hikaru and Karou grinned mischievously. They both had a funny plan in mind and reached an arm around the girls but in a once again shocking motion Ame gripped Hikaru's hand and twisted it back, making him howl in pain. She quickly released it, "Oh god, I'm sorry!"

Karou quickly ran to his brother's aid, "What was that for?"

Nina sighed in irritation, "Look, I was about to do the same thing to you, whichever one you are. We don't like being touched unless we know someone really well, got it?"

For some odd reason the two looked like they were in a soap opera, "Hikaru, are you okay?" Karou said tearfully.

Hikaru looked into his brother's eyes just as tearful, "Only because you're here Karou."

Nina and Ame looked confused and a little disgusted, "What's with them, aren't they twins?" asked Ame.

Nina raised her hands, "I love Donnie but he and I aren't anywhere near that close."

The boys stood and said in anger, "How dare you? Don't you appreciate brotherly love?"

"What the fu- brotherly love?" Nina said hotly, "I have a twin and though fraternal he and I don't have any sexual tension between us. That's just gross."

"And my father was never as affectionate with his brother," Ame added.

Kyoya and Mori couldn't believe how much of a disaster things were turning out to be between their friends and the girls they loved.

"Well the ladies of the Host Club seem to enjoy it!"

"What's a host club?"

"It's a sophisticated club where young ladies come to be entertained by handsome young men," said Karou.

Nina and Ame both raised their eyebrows, "Entertained?"

"We are simply learning to be gracious hosts because of our social upbringing, nothing more," said Kyoya, though surprised the words blurted hastily from his mouth.

"Ah," said Nina before grinning, "Well in America we have beer pong and shot chess."

"What are those?" asked Haruhi as she and Tamaki descended the steps.

Ame sighed, "Drinking games. I wouldn't suggest them during a high class social party."

"I would," Nina laughed.

Hikaru and Karou's eyes lit up, "Oh, like the King's Game?"

"King's Game?" asked Ame.

"No!" Tamaki snapped coming down the stairs, nose beginning to turn slightly purple, "We are not playing that ever again!"

Nina put her arms around the twins, "Teach me about the King's Game and I'll teach you about Yellow."

Thankfully after that things slowly got better. The three redheads exchanged different games to play, Tamaki grudgingly forgave Nina thanks to Haruhi, and Ame served cake and tea until most everyone had to return home.

Mori and Kyoya stayed behind to help clean up a little when Nina gasped, "Oh, we almost forgot! Ame, remember that block party thing?"

"Oh yeah," said Ame, "Tomorrow there's going to be a little street festival a few blocks away to celebrate in hopes of the first snow to fall soon since it's been so weirdly warm. Nina and I are going and we were wondering if you guys wanted to come with us."

"Your friends aren't bad but this invitation is mostly for you two," said Nina.

Mori nodded with a small smile.

"As long as you explain what Yellow was," said Kyoya remembering the twisted laughter from the twins.

Ame giggled, "It's when you and three or five other people are in a car and are driving a long distance."

Nina spoke between laughter, "And whenever you see a yellow car you hit the roof and yell 'Yellow!'"

"Whoever does it last has to take off an article of clothing, "Ame smiled, "You put back on whatever you took off when the car makes a stop at like a gas station or something, which is why you play for long distances."

Kyoya's eyebrows rose, "Who would play that?"

Nina snickered, "Thanks to that game Ame and I made a trucker's day."

Ame laughed, "Until his wife noticed why he wasn't paying attention to the road. I don't think we've ever sped so fast before that."

Kyoya sighed heavily, his hope for the future diminishing quickly, "Sorry I asked."

* * *

"It hurts!" Tamaki wailed sitting in Haruhi's house.

"I haven't even touched it yet!" she said trying to check on him.

They were both alone in the house; Hikaru and Karou back at their mansion figuring out Nina's games and Honey was also at home taking care of Pome and Piyo (Mori's pet raccoon and chicken). Haruhi's dad wasn't expected to be back anytime soon since he was working the night shift at his bar.

However at the moment Haruhi sort of wished someone was with them to pin the flailing boy down, "Tamaki, will you please keep still?!"

"Why of all people did Mori have to fall in love with her?!" he whined.

Haruhi huffed, feeling extremely irritated, "Well it's not like you can control who you love! I fell in love with _you_ after all!" she snapped before clapping both hands over her mouth.

Tamaki stared up at her in shock, "You-you-you-you-you…._love me_!?"

She dropped to her knees, not willing to meet his eyes.

Once he managed to calm down his shocked erratic breathing Tamaki stared at her, a tightness squeezing in his chest, "Are you sure?"

She wanted to scream _I didn't mean it!_ But just gave a tiny nod. She heard him shuffle closer until he was kneeling right in front of her but she didn't look up.

"I can't believe it."

Those made her raise her head in anger, "Why, because I'm a commoner?"

The smile he gave her was of pure wonder, "I didn't think you could love someone so unworthy as I am. Haruhi," he took her head gently in his hands, "I've loved you for so long. I hope you'll excuse me in saying this can't be real."

Her eyes burned at it was only then she realized she was crying, "I-I know what you mean."

He leaned in and whispered before their lips touched, "You've made me so happy."

She kissed him softly, not wanting to injure his nose further, "Y-yeah, me too."

* * *

Kyoya glanced at his watch, "They're late."

Mori smiled and shrugged; just happy he was getting to spend time with Nina.

The Ootori man glanced at him, "You really care about her don't you?"

He was about to reply when he noticed Nina with her hair in a ponytail, a red hoodie over her torso, blue jeans, and tennis shoes. She was running down the path towards him past the food stalls, laughter in her eyes.

The look of adoration was more than enough of an answer. She leapt into his open arms and he spun a little, a low rumble of laughter rumbling through his chest. For a moment Kyoya envied their closeness, feeling foolish for even coming to the little festival. He could never hold Ame like he wanted to but couldn't bring himself to go a day without the sweet smile she would always send his way, as if casting a spell on him. Well, he certainly felt enchanted.

'_Speak of the angel,'_ he thought watching her as she ran towards them. She stopped in front of the two, gasping for air. Her cheeks were pink and a frown on her lips, "Sorry we're late. Nina said she wanted to race me but then locked me in the shop."

Nina laughed from her position on Mori's back, earning her a few confused looks from passersby, "You know you love me."

Ame rolled her eyes and then turned to Kyoya. The smile he was just thinking about lit up her features and his heart twisted in anxiety and a bittersweet happiness. She looked lovely in a navy blue sweater that hugged her slim shape and black jeans, tennis shoes on her feet, "I'm surprised how much the temperature dropped. Maybe it will snow after all."

He nodded, his words stolen.

Nina sniffed the air and pointed at a nearby stall, "Man that smells good. Mush Rover!" She laughed when Mori took off with a happy grin on his face.

Once again he envied their closeness, that is, until Ame raised her elbow to him with a playful smile, "Shall we?"

He contemplated a moment but figured it was fine since she offered. They hooked arms and he was surprised when her small hand closed around his. He glanced down at her curiously but she paid him no mind, her attention keen on finding the others. Without thinking he shifted until their fingers were intertwined. To his surprise she still paid him no mind but for a moment he thought he saw her blush.

Mori came bounding back with a grinning Nina, four items in her hands, "They had fruit kabobs! I got one for each of us!"

Ame and Kyoya said their thanks and reached to take theirs. Nina sent Ame a questioning glance about their hands but shrugged and took a finishing bite from her kabob; resting her head on Mori's shoulder and putting his kabob in front of his mouth. He took a bite, a pleased look on his face before rushing off again, Nina chuckling happily.

Ame shook her head, "They're gonna be married by tomorrow if one of them would make a move."

Kyoya stared after them, "They certainly go together well but complications may arise from her lack of social standing."

Ame snorted, "That just sounds like an excuse."

He frowned, "I don't expect you to understand-"

"Understand what?" she said annoyed, "It's simple. If two people love each other they will be together."

Kyoya sighed, "It's not that easy-"

"Yes it is," she interrupted again, "Too many relationships fail just because no one wants to put forth effort for fear of getting hurt, but if you love someone isn't the risk worth it?"

He didn't want to talk about this, especially with her, "You sound quite sure of yourself."

She shrugged, "I was in love once."

Kyoya dropped his kabob, "Oh?"

Ame hadn't noticed. She gave some strange masks an amused look, "Yeah, back in New York. He was different than the kind of guy I was used to."

"Used to?"

She sighed, "Mom was always introducing me to guys who were 'destined to be successful'" she said quoting with her free hand, "They were usually the sons of businessmen or lawyers or pretty much any guy you could think that would be full of themselves. They treated me like an object that would look pretty on their arm but not to speak," she frowned. She nibbled on a strawberry absentmindedly, "Then I met Marcus and everything changed. He was clever, weird as hell, and poor as dirt," she laughed, "He treated me like a person and we would talk for hours either on the phone or in person."

"Ah," he grunted not wanting to hear anymore, "Sounds like a nice story."

She shrugged, "For a while it was. I used to love seeing him every morning. He was always smiling and he, Nina, and I were like the Three Musketeers. One day Nina tells me I should ask him out."

'_Good for him'_ Kyoya thought bitterly.

"He said no."

His head whipped around, not sure he heard her right, "What?"

Ame gave an exasperated laugh, "He told me the thought of a relationship never even crossed his mind. It was only after like an hour of convincing he gave in."

Kyoya couldn't believe she had actually had to convince a man to date her. _'Who the hell does he think he is?_" he thought.

Ame looked up, "We dated for a few months and things were going really well. He actually told me he loved me and at first I was happy, but the way he said it was like he was telling his dog he loved him. I didn't think much of it and instead put all my heart into making it work, but deep down I knew things weren't getting better. Then one day Donnie introduced us to a friend from work," she laughed a non-committal sound, "Before then I didn't believe in love at first sight, but the way they looked at each other was like it was fate."

"I'm sorry," Kyoya said. Shockingly he actually was.

She smiled, "You sound like him. He said the same thing later that day. He told me it wouldn't be fair if we stayed the way things were when his heart belonged to someone else. I said it was okay but asked him 'what if it didn't work out?' He just smiled like he always does and said 'The risk is worth it when you know you're meant to be."

They were silent, letting the words sink in. Kyoya asked quietly, "Where are they now?"

She smiled, "He proposed last month after two years. They're getting married in June and I'm expected to be a bride's maid."

He winced, "I'm sorry," then realized he'd apologized more to her than anyone he'd ever known.

She laughed, "Believe it or not I'm happy for him. I couldn't have asked for a better first love, plus," she squeezed his hand, "I know he's not my last."

Kyoya didn't know what to say and yet wanted to say many things.

Suddenly Ame gasped and pulled him along, away from the stalls and towards some bushes.

"What are we doing?"

"Shh, look!" she said quietly pointing.

He turned his head. Nina and Mori faced each other, the former looking confused and the latter looking serious but determined, "Just spit it out already! What's wrong? Did I do something?"

He shook his head, "There was something I wanted to ask you."

She bounced impatiently but his look made her concerned, "You know you can tell me anything."

Mori smiled gratefully and put a hand on her cheek. She put her hand over his, still confused, "Mori?"

He sighed, "I care about you."

Nina smiled brightly, "I care about you too."

"Ah…"

She blinked.

After a long minute Mori suddenly forced out, "I meant I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone. I-I would like to date you!"

Nina stared

Ame stared

Kyoya rolled his eyes in boredom, wondering how it wasn't obvious.

Amazingly, what happened next shocked everyone to the core.

She laughed.

And laughed

And laughed

Kyoya and Ame were simply stunned at Nina's behavior. She was doubled over, her laughter echoing painfully.

Mori felt his heart shatter and turned to walk away, but a hand grabbed his wrist. He wanted to run, hit something, anything, but instead he stood waiting for her laughter to finish, his heart aching with each little gasp.

Finally she was done. Standing upright a few stray giggles escaped her lips, "Oh, you dummy."

He frowned, his face burning and a hole in his heart, "I won't ask again."

"No, no" she said shaking her head, "It's not that at all, it's just…well…I thought you were already my boyfriend!"

Kyoya and Ame shook their heads in exasperation.

Mori stared, not understanding.

Nina began chuckling again, "The letter I left you was an invitation to a date or it was supposed to be. Didn't it say?"

He shook his head.

She frowned and called, "Ame I know you're listening! I told you to specify that it was a date!"

The girl stood from her hiding place, Kyoya next to her brushing off his pants, "You did not! I thought you just wanted to get to know him!"

The redhead threw her hands in the air, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Mori laughed.

The sound surprised everyone but Kyoya was happy for his friend.

When he was done he held out his hand to the confusing girl, "Hi, I'm Mori."

Nina smiled sweetly remembering their first conversation and shook her hand, "Hello, I'm Nina. Would you like to date me?"

He nodded with a grin and pulled her into a kiss which she happily reciprocated.

Ame took Kyoya's hand and nodded towards the festival which now lit up the night sky.

Later Nina and Mori found themselves under Treant, wanting to be alone and away from the bright lights.

"Ah-"

"Hm?" she asked while lying on his torso.

"Why is it if you thought we were dating you would pull away?"

Nina remembered when they first started hugging and was beginning to become affectionate with each other. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You never initiated the hugs so every time I did I felt guilty and thought you just wanted to move things really slowly."

He sat up, pulling her with him, "I wanted to but you weren't mine to hug."

She smiled, "I am now, though technically I always was."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "I love you."

"Someone's chatty today," she giggled, "Alright, alright don't pout. I love you too."

He looked away, "I wasn't pouting."

She laughed and kissed him again, "Sure you weren't Hun."

* * *

Kyoya stretched. The sky was getting darker but the festival actually was fun. He was surprised to learn it was Ame's first one.

"You've lived in Japan for two years yet this is your first festival?"

She nodded, "I never had anyone to go with and I was really busy with starting my business and everything."

He frowned, "I noticed you have many days off though."

She shrugged, "I have a lot of idiots but it's okay since my website is doing well."

"Website?"

"Yeah," she grinned, "I sell my boxes of tea all around the world. Each person that signs up on my website gets a predetermined shipment of tea, each one a different price once a month. I get triple from the website than the shop actually."

"Interesting," he said in approval.

Ame grinned, "I told you not to underestimate me."

He grinned back, pleased by her ability to constantly amaze him.

"Oh wow!"

A pretty barrette caught her eye. It was dragonfly shaped and sparkled brightly. Unfortunately before she could buy it another girl snatched it up, "Aw…"

"You like dragonflies?" he asked.

She shook her head up and down, "Dragonflies are said to be good luck."

"Hm," he said thoughtfully.

Something white fluttered in front of her face, "Snow!"

They looked up. Everyone began cheering happily. The festival was after all for snow.

Ame closed her eyes and smiled at the sky, "I love snow."

"Ironic for a flower shop owner."

She sighed happily, "I can't help it. Something about it just makes me happy."

He stared at her lovely face, "I know the feeling."

It was late but thanks to the swirling purple night clouds everything was still visible. They walked hand in hand all the way to the shop. Unspoken words hung between them but as usual nothing needed to be said.

When they reached the door they saw Nina through the window sitting at the counter alone flipping through a magazine.

Ame smiled, "Thank you for walking me home."

He shook his head, "It was nothing."

Before anything else was said music suddenly drifted from her pocket

_Stay with me, baby stay with me,_

_Tonight don't leave me alone._

_Walk with me, come and walk with me,_

_To the edge of all we've ever known._

The lyrics spoke volumes. Kyoya finally cleared his throat, "You should answer that."

Slowly she reached for her phone and turned, "Hello?"

Just as she went to open the door he quickly walked behind her to open it for her. She noticed his presence, turned, and looked up just as he looked down.

Their lips met and the phone dropped. In a fierce passion they clung together. A passion like any other fired Kyoya's drive and he pulled her close, hands around her waist, hers cradling his face, the snow falling around them.

His heart pounded and nothing else mattered but the smell of her perfume, the feel of her waist under his hands, the taste of her lips…

"_Hello?! Ame are you there!?"_

The voice through the phone broke through their thoughts and they pulled away, both breathing heavily. She quickly picked up the phone, "Yeah? Hello? Oh…hi Dad. No I'm fine I dropped the phone. No I just got done running. I can run at night if I want to."

Kyoya blushed, feeling awkward about everything. With a tiny wave she entered the store where Nina was waiting, eyebrows raised and from the look of it, saw everything.

He leaned on the brick wall, out of the door and window's view.

He finally did it. He kissed her.

"Dammit," he growled rubbing a hand through his hair. His lips still tingled from the sensation. He could taste the strawberry she ate earlier, "I am the ultimate fool."

Kyoya sighed and stood a few minutes watching the snow fall until Mori suddenly came into view, "What are you doing here?"

"I left my jacket," he answered, "Did you just get back?"

He nodded.

Mori raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I kissed her."

"Ah."

"I don't know what I was thinking!" he snapped, "This cannot happen. I cannot fall in love with a flower girl!"

Mori patted his shoulder, "You already have."

"Then I cannot be with her."

Mori frowned, "Did she kiss you back?"

He thought about it for a moment, "Well, yes but-"

"Do you love her?"

"Yes-"

"Then be with her."

"I can't!"

Mori shook his head, "As long as I have known you you have accomplished anything you desired. I will find a way to be with Nina no matter what and you should do everything you can to stay with the one you love. It is worth the risk."

Kyoya remembered Ame's (technically Marcus') words, _"The risk is worth it when you know you're meant to be."_

The taller man nodded, back to his silent self. He felt he had to knock some sense into Kyoya especially since he had never seen him so happy than with that girl. He began to walk towards the door but stopped when they both heard Nina say, _"Thank whatever deity is out there for what Mori said today."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Whether he knows it or not that man is sexy and I didn't think I was going to be able to reign in my hormones any longer. I was half ready to take him home tonight, tie him to the bed posts and just fuck the hell out of him all night long."_

Blood exploded from Mori's nose and even Kyoya's ears lit on fire at the words he didn't need to hear. Unfortunately he heard more.

"_I thought you preferred it when you were the one tied up?"_

"_No, that's Donnie. I like it better when a man has the balls to take me, slam me against the wall, and the more biting the better. When he did that yesterday I swear it set me off."_

Mori (blushing furiously and nose bleeding at a steady rate) muttered a "Goodbye," before walking steadily faster and faster until he bolted down the sidewalk. Kyoya didn't blame him and walked as quickly as he could back home.

* * *

In the middle of the night Kyoya managed to find the song from Ame's phone and listened quietly.

_Don't run away...  
And it's hard to love again,  
When the only way it's been,  
When the only love you knew,  
Just walked away...  
If it's something that you want,  
Darling you don't have to run,  
You don't have to go ..._

_Just stay with me, baby stay with me,_

_Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,  
But with my eyes closed all I see  
Is the skyline, through the window,  
The moon above you and the streets below. (Don't let go)  
Hold my breath as you're moving in,  
Taste your lips and feel your skin.  
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly._

_Oh, I'm not sure where this is gonna go,_  
_But in this moment all I know_  
_Is the skyline, through the window,_  
_The moon above you and the streets below. (Baby, don't let go)_  
_Hold my breath as you're moving in,_  
_Taste your lips and feel your skin._  
_When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly._

* * *

**_By far the cheesiest chapter I've ever written. The song is Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute. Funny story, this chapter was almost entirely rewritten because I was originally going to use a song by Colbie Callait but this song was a link and I loved it and this chapter was spawned. It's amazing what the right kind of music can help you accomplish. Hope you like it as much as I do :D_**

**_This story has about three or four more chapters to go. WHAT WILL HAPPEN?_**

**_Review and I'll tell you :D_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Salutations_ fellow fanfic lovers! I know this chapter is late, short, and mostly a filler but blame my lovable but idiotic friends for waking me up almost every day for the past week to go traveling in the woods and having katana fights near a river then getting taken to their place to watch Naruto parodies...I don't even watch Naruto but those parodies will haunt me for the rest of my life...and apparently I won't get to write for a while after this because they're kidnapping me to watch all of the Naruto episodes so far...Lord have mercy on my soul_**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Ouran I'd be rich and able to hire bodyguards to keep my friends from making me watch Naruto parodies ;_;**

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Ame had finally allowed herself enough time to sit down. She'd spent the first half of the day blundering through her business until finally closing early, her mind full of thoughts thanks to her conversation with Nina a few days ago;

"_I saw the way you two kissed. You can't tell me that was nothing."_

_Ame ran a hand through her hair, "I don't know what that was but he isn't exactly the guy of my dreams."_

_Nina snorted, "So? I always thought I'd end up with some thug from the backstreets of New York but fate had other plans."_

_She smiled, "Yeah, you really fell hard didn't you?"_

_Nina blushed, "Mhmm, but what about you? Aren't you in love with Gl- Kyoya?"_

_Ame sighed, "I don't know but even if I was I doubt he'd want to be with me the way things are."_

"_Listen, first off since I've met him he's seemed like a total dick," Nina said nonchalantly, "But since you guys have been together it's obvious how much he cares about you. I highly doubt he isn't completely in love with you already."_

_The flower girl rolled her eyes, "Easy for you to say. I doubt Mori cares about money or social status. Face it, even if he did like me or even love me, which is ridiculous to say, that kiss was a fluke. He's the type who wouldn't be with me unless he got something out of it."_

_Nina leaned on her hand, "I can't argue with that but let's say one day he told you money didn't matter and that he wanted to be with you no matter what. Would you accept him?"_

It was a question Ame couldn't answer at the time but couldn't stop thinking about. Since that day she expected Kyoya to avoid her like the plague but on the contrary he visited to have tea, would ask her about her day, her life, her interests or anything that happened to come up. She had to admit, he was enjoyable conversation. He wasn't at all what she had expected. He had aspirations and a will that drove him to try and better himself every day.

Ame looked around. The store was a nice, quaint place. Anyone that saw it would say she'd accomplished much and had done well for herself, but in truth, the girl was bored. She wanted to do more but as usual, when she tried a challenge it wasn't long before she mastered it. Ame had wondered often if life would always be so day to day. Before, everything she did was always accomplished with one hundred percent effort but nothing had given her the excitement she wanted. Nothing inspired her.

Suddenly the phone rang and she answered, "Hello, this is _Faye Flora~_ where-"

"_Hey, hey! How's my favorite jewel?"_

She smiled. That wasn't completely true. When she was younger Marcus had always told her anything was possible and to do whatever made her happy. In all honesty she hadn't really had any dreams other than to be with him. When he'd broken her heart was when a girl in her college was talking about returning to her Japanese roots. Ame had aced foreign language, which had happened to be Japanese. A passport and random choice of business had her running off to a strange place with different people where she thought she could get a fresh start but instead was just running away. Ame wanted to get out on her own but was no closer to figuring out what she wanted to do with her life.

"_Hey, that you?"_

The voice made her jump, "O-oh, yeah. Hi Marcus, how's it going?"

"_Great! I have big news! Ivy's pregnant!"_

Her eyebrows rose. Behind her the chime of the door rang. She held up a finger and spoke, "That's great! When did you find out?"

"_Yesterday. She's already two weeks in. We're so excited!"_

"I'm happy for you," Ame replied.

"_I wanted to tell you but I actually wanted to call about flowers for the wedding. Ivy wanted violets and I told her you grew the best ones."_

"Thanks," she said feeling tired.

"_No problem! We really would appreciate it. So how's Japan?"_

"Not bad, listen, Marcus I really need to get back to the shop."

"_Oh, yeah it's cool. I'll call you later about the details. I have to go pick up a few things from the store anyway. Cravings have already started," _he laughed, _"Hey, thanks for everything. I'm really glad to have a friend who's always got my back. Hell, you and your friend Donnie are the only reasons I met Ivy."_

"Mhmm, yeah, okay well gotta go, bye," she said hanging up quickly. She hated herself for it but for some reason talking to Marcus always made her feel like she's just ran a marathon. It also occurred to her she's already closed the shop, "I'm sorry but we're-"

Kyoya stood with a slightly startled expression, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're crying."

Ame felt her face and sure enough steady tears fell from her eyes when she blinked, "O-oh, I-"

"You said Marcus," Kyoya stated, "Was it _him_?"

She nodded as if in a daze, "Yeah, it was. His fiancé is pregnant. Isn't it great?" more tears fell and a sob wracked her.

Kyoya walked around the counter and wrapped his arms around her thin frame, "I assume those aren't tears of joy?"

She started shaking and sobbed harder, "I don't understand. I don't love him anymore or I shouldn't or-"Ame clutched his shirt and cried.

He sighed, "Let me lock the door. Is Nina here?"

She shook her head, "She got called back to Oklahoma. Her adopted mom died."

He was surprised, "Is she alright? I'm surprised you're not with her."

Ame shook her head and wiped her eyes, "She hasn't seen her since she left for New York with her dad a few years ago. I was gonna go with her but she told me to stay here in case Mori came by."

"She didn't tell him?" he said as they walked up the steps.

The petite girl shook her head, "She didn't want him to worry. Nina's coming back tomorrow. She said she'd tell him then."

When they reached the top of the stairs Kyoya led her to the couch, "Do you need anything?"

"Can you get me some banana milk from the fridge?"

He nodded and walked to the kitchen. Bringing back the glass Ame drank a generous amount, "Thanks."

He nodded again. For once an uncomfortable silence settled between the two.

Ame was the first to break it, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

She looked chagrinned, "This is the second time we sat here due to me crying."

"It's alright," he said tiredly.

Ame sighed, "I know I said I was okay with it but some idiotic part of me still thinks one day he'll leave her and finally love me back."

Kyoya watched her warily, "Is that what you want?"

A heartbeat passed before Ame answered, "I suppose not but it still sucks. He was everything I wanted, well; thought I wanted, and then right before my eyes this girl appears and makes him happier than I ever could."

She drank more of the milk and continued, "And do you wanna know the best part? This girl is really beautiful, in fact," she picked up her phone and pressed a few buttons before showing a tall, lovely young woman who appeared to have a gymnast's body with long black hair tied in a ponytail, bright green eyes, and a stern frown, "Donnie told me she's known for being asked out all the time every day but never took any offers. She said and I quote "I'm not going to settle. I'll know him when I see him" and wham! He conveniently turned out to be Marcus," she drank the last gulp and frowned, "I think Nina put something in this."

He looked in the glass and set it on the table, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "It tasted like she was trying to make a banana daiquiri which isn't really strong," she relaxed into the couch, "I was really happy for them, honestly I was, but I think a part of me is still pissed deep down inside."

"That's understandable," Kyoya said gently.

"Not really," she said with a shrug, "I'm just being petty. I guess what really upsets me is instead of dealing with it I ran away to a place where no one knows me. Instead of getting a fresh start it just made me feel lonely. I was really happy when Nina offered to come stay with me," she smiled, "I guess I shouldn't complain. At least thanks to my cowardice she met the love of her life."

Kyoya nodded.

With the alcohol in her system she felt a little braver. Taking his hand she said, "I also got to meet you. You're a pretty awesome guy."

He looked surprised, "Thank you."

She slumped her head against his shoulder, "Life sucks."

He snorted in agreement.

Ame let out a breath of air, "Well, no use sitting here being depressed. I'll cook us something."

After a quick look in the fridge and a mental note to go to the store the next day Ame cooked chicken fettuccini. Kyoya was impressed with the quality, "You are a very good cook."

She shrugged, "Mom made sure I knew all the 'housewifey' skills necessary to take care of myself but I never planned on being one."

He swallowed a bite of noodles, "You are quite an intelligent person. I'm surprised this is all you planned to be."

Ame slurped a noodle, "It wasn't. In all honesty, gardening was really fun but lately I've been thinking about getting into aromatherapy."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I was always good with people and at first I was thinking of getting into medicine and maybe become a chemist or something. My main goal in life is to help people and if I can make tea from a sedative just imagine what I could do with other plants and chemicals."

Kyoya was impressed, "It certainly won't be easy."

She smiled, "I'm kind of counting on it. I'm sick of moping around waiting for my life to get better. I want to make a difference in the world…I guess I should thank you for that."

He raised an eyebrow, "Thank me?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Hearing about how hard you struggle every day with a dad who expects perfection and enjoying the challenge made me want to do more than just grow flowers. I think I could really do well with my life; I just need to move on and in all honesty I think I have."

He stroked her hand with his thumb, "I'm glad I could help."

Ame smiled, "Speaking of helping people, tomorrow Nina, Mori, Honey, and I are going to a soup kitchen tomorrow. We've already sent our usual donations for Christmas but there's nothing like physically doing something. Would you like to come? Afterwards we're gonna go tree shopping and bring it home to decorate."

Kyoya nodded. His father was still out of town and he knew he was far past denying her any request of him.

Moving a lock of hair from her face Ame asked, "What do you and your family usually do for Christmas?"

"Most of my family is absorbed with work so we tend to send gifts."

Ame nodded, "Yeah, my family has a lot to do so I'll just send and receive gifts in the mail."

Kyoya looked at her questioningly, "From what I've seen of Alex and your father it surprises me you won't be with them for Christmas."

She shook her head, "My whole family was born full of runaways. We all have really good relationships with one another but once we get old enough to leave the nest we do and make our own lives. We still keep in touch and we still love each other but most of us do our own thing," Ame rested her head on her palm, "When I was fifteen I was moving back and forth from Japan, my mother left home when she was nineteen with my father, Alex ran off with Donnie when he was eighteen; hell even one of my seriously weird but awesome aunts ran off to marry a priest-in-training when they were both eighteen and she's Pagan!"

Kyoya actually had to smile at that one, "That certainly is something to talk about."

Ame laughed and with a cute smile said, "Yeah, but I'm happy for her. He renounced his priesthood for her and now they're expecting a baby girl really soon…wow, I just realized how often the men leave their lives for the women in my family."

He said his next words without thinking, "If they're anything like you I don't blame them."

They blinked in surprise. A long silence followed and try as Kyoya might he could think of nothing to break it. Suddenly Ame started to sway a little, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," she said rubbing her eyes, "I just had a long day so I'm tired and I think the alcohol's starting to take effect, plus I get really exhausted after I cry."

He hoped she would fall asleep and forget what he said but by the look in her eyes he knew that wouldn't be the case, "Do you need to lie down?"

She stared at him, almost as if she was in contemplation of something but the look quickly passed. With the gentleness of a feather Ame leaned in and delicately kissed him on the cheek before resting her forehead on his chest, "I'm sorry…I just wish things were different."

His gaze rested on one of the paintings on the wall, "If I could do anything-"

"Don't," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his torso, "It's okay. This is enough."

Kyoya returned the hug, _'It may be enough for you but I'm worried it will never be enough for me.'_

* * *

Nina cracked her knuckles and breathed in the rich scents of the shop deeply, happy to be home. She relocked the door, tossed her coat on the counter and hurried upstairs, "Am, I'm back early!"

"Shh,"

She hesitated at the top of the steps. On light feet she walked around the couch to be met with the sight of Ame asleep across the couch, her head on Kyoya's lap, "She okay?"

"Yes, just tired."

Nina kneeled down in front of her but frowned, "Was she crying?"

Kyoya stroked some of the green, silky hair on her head, "She got a phone call from Marcus."

"Tch," Nina scowled, "I don't believe in staying friends with ex's. So, sweet a picture as it is, what are you doing here Glasses? Though I guess there isn't a point in asking," when he didn't respond she raised her eyebrows, "What? No snappy comebacks about your denial?"

He kept his eyes on Ame's sleeping form, "No. Not anymore. I love her and there is nothing I can do about it."

In the next second a soft mumble came from Ame, "Love…too, Kyo…"

Kyoya's heart beat painfully. It actually took him a few minutes but he finally regained his composure before staring at the ceiling.

Nina examined her nails, "Wow, it's been forever since I heard her talk in her sleep."

He snapped his head back up, "That's all you're concerned about right now?"

The redhead shrugged, "Oh please. Once she figured out you weren't a total dick she hasn't taken her eyes off you. I think in the time she met you she's turned down like fifty offers-"

"Offers?"

Nina gaped, "You cannot be serious. You honestly believe that she hasn't been asked out even once since you met her? Since that girl started school she's been followed home by guy after guy after guy. It was one of the reasons I thought she was stuck up before I got to know her," a smirk graced her lips, "It would get so bad that Max wouldn't let her walk anywhere until she learned all 117 ways to break a penis."

He blanched which made Nina chuckle more, "Don't worry, none of the moves can be performed asleep…well, never mind. Anyway, point of the matter is, her usual motto is to give every guy who she doesn't think is a creeper at least one date but since she's gotten to know you she hasn't even noticed any other guy. You really should feel flattered because she's a hit in New York."

The mention of New York sparked a memory, "Oh, Ame told me your mother passed away."

Green eyes lost their sparkle and for the first time since Kyoya met her she actually looked embarrassed and a little uncomfortable, "Yeah but it's not a really big deal. I was never home long enough to get to know her and when I was she was passed out from something or other."

"You're back quite early."

She looked like she wanted to talk about something else, "Yeah, well, the only reason I was asked to come down there was because I needed to identify the body. She didn't have anything except a few bucks to her name and she left that to the girl who delivered the newspapers."

"Oh…"

Nina stood, "Like I said, it's nothing to feel bad about; besides," her smile turned tender when she glanced at Ame, "Believe it or not, Ame's been more of a mother to me than anyone. She's my family now, along with Mori and his family."

This greatly intrigued him, "He hasn't-?"

"Oh, no," she assured, "But I wouldn't mind if he did."

"Isn't it a little early?"

She looked at him with a grin, "Ame and I've always wanted to elope. I want to do it because I hate big ceremonies but she wants to do it because of tradition."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "Tradition?"

She smiled, "A lot of her great-great-great whatever's eloped because of different reasons but amazingly the ones that eloped after knowing each other for just a few days were the successful ones over dating for years and years so it kind of became tradition in her family. I call them The Runaways."

He remembered Ame's words, "She said something about that."

Kyoya blinked when Nina leaned really close towards his face with a stern expression, "Let that be a lesson to you. While you're trying to sort out your business some handsome stranger could whisk her off her feet to a midnight wedding and then off to their honeymoon in Italy."

Pushing up his glasses Kyoya replied, "She wouldn't-"

"Oh believe me, she would."

* * *

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* "Alright lazy asses, time to get up!"

'_Whoever that is is getting fired,'_ Kyoya thought in annoyance. He sat up, stretched, yawned, and fumbled to find his glasses.

"Here you go."

"Thank you," he muttered taking the glasses. At that moment he realized three things.

One: This was not his bedroom.

Two: This was not Nina's bedroom like last time.

Three: Ame stood in front of him with wet hair wearing only red panties with green Christmas trees and green bra with red round ornament pictures covering the breasts.

And with a startling realization he noticed there was a fourth problem most likely caused by it being morning and problem number three.

"You need to put clothes on!" he snapped more embarassed than anything. He bunched the black and white covers of Ame's bed around himself as much as he could.

Ame shrugged, "What's the big deal? It's the same thing as a bikini. Oooh, wait till you see my costume!"

To his relief she ran out into the living room. A few moments later Nina peeked her head in, "You awake?"

"Yes," he muttered, "And make sure to never let me sleep here again."

"I'll say. You like you're about to set sail under there," she said before ducking out of the room with a giggle.

He looked down and blushed horrendously, "NINA!"

* * *

One awkward shower in Ame's bathroom later Kyoya found himself sitting downstairs drinking Ame's raspberry tea. Suddenly Mori and Honey walked through the front door, though looking completely different.

Mori was dressed head to toe in Santa fashion; Hat, beard, suit, belt, belly (pillow), and boots with a large sack over his shoulder.

Honey had on the standard elf gear; green suit, green tights, pointy shoes, and a pointy hat. He was currently munching on a gingerbread man, "We're here!" he shouted.

"One minute!" yelled Nina.

"Hi Kyo-chan!" Honey said enthusiastically.

"Hn," said Mori.

Kyoya nodded.

"Okay! Get ready!" yelled Ame.

Suddenly both girls came sliding down the stair railings and stopped in front of the boys. Two of the three gaped. Nina was wearing her signature black heeled boots that went to the knees, white tights, a red dress that hugged her body with fluffy white trim around the top and bottom hemlines, a red trench coat over it, a necklace with a snowman charm, light red eye shadow to compliment her green eyes, and a Santa hat.

Ame was wearing green ankle boots, white and red striped tights, green shorts, a green top that had white trim around the bust and sleeves that cut to diamonds at the end so the sleeves would end in points over her middle fingers, a snowflake necklace, and a green elf's hat with mistletoe pinned to the side. Over her arm was a green trench coat.

Nina twirled, "I'm Mrs. Clause and Ame's Santa's little helper."

Light pink dusted Ame's cheeks and she shyly asked, "What do you think?"

Mori never took his eyes off Nina, "Amazing."

"Beautiful," Kyoya breathed.

"Now Kyo-chan just has to get on his costume!" said Honey cheerfully.

"No," he replied firmly.

Nina grinned evilly, "Oh I'm going to love this."

"I said no."

"Mori, help him out will you?"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

* * *

**_Okay, kind of a cliffy but not really. Anyway, I think the next chapter has a major plot point or the chapter after but basically there are three or five chapters left so we're almost at a close._**

**_Little contest: Try to guess what Kyoya's costume is :D_**

**_I know Nina comes off as a bit cold in this chapter but I'll explain more about what happened with her foster mother in the next chapter._**

**_Oh, one more thing: The next chapter will definitely be longer and will be the one to bump this up to an M rating._**

**_Be sure to review :D_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_HI EVERYONE! FOR ONCE I HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD EXCUSE FOR WHY THIS WAS DELAYED! MY SISTER'S BROKE THE LAPTOP AND I HAD TO GET IT FIXED! THIS CHAPTER IS SUPER LONGER THAN ALL THE OTHERS SO IF YOU LIKE IT AND ARE WILLING TO FORGIVE ME THEN REVIEW! I JUST REALIZED I HAD THE CAPS ON BUT I DON'T CARE!_**

**Disclaimer: Mistrelia of the Ice does not own Host Club. Wanna know why? This chapter should explain.**

****Note: This chapter contains strong, sexual themes. Not for the fainthearted.**

* * *

_The figure breathed heavily as she ran through the snow covered forest. Her long hair flew out behind her as shots sounded from the gun. Once the resounding 'click' of an empty barrel met her ears she tossed it in her bag and brought out the small blade she always carried, knowing it would not be enough._

_Sweat poured down the side of her face, stinging her eyes as she pushed down tree branch after tree branch. Suddenly breaking through to a clearing she only saw a flow of water before a figure struck her from the side. She quickly rolled out of the way, gasping for the air that had been forced out of her lungs. Her hands felt empty and with panic she searched the brown, stringy grass and the cold slush of snow._

_Seeing her unarmed the figure pounced onto her; a rage like no other evident in their eyes. Thankfully, cold, thin metal met her palm and she plunged the blade hard into its side. Taking advantage of the momentary confusing sting she used what strength she had left in her legs to force them off. _

_She hurriedly pulled out the useless gun, put it to their head, and screamed with more bravery than she possessed at the moment, "Don't move!"_

_Breathing heavily he grinned a sharp grin, "Do you think you can do it?"_

_His words shook her to the core. He looked bigger now that she had the time to examine him. Even kneeling he was quite tall and muscular, blood dripping from his hands and long scars across his bare chest. Long, mud smeared hair blocked his eyes. His pants were ripped to shreds and just as dirty._

_She herself looked terrible, covered in grime and caked with mud, shirt and pants an awful mess. The only item intact was her stolen bag, "I-I can and I will!"_

_A low, growling chuckle escaped from his lips snarling lips. Slowly he lifted his head, hair falling from his eyes. He blinked once through the sunlight before his pupils dilated in shock, "Bethany?"_

_She stared into his cold blue eyes, a look of horror emitting from hers, "Damien…"_

"Cut! That's it for today everyone!"

A bell somewhere rang, snapping the two out of their trance. Alex stood with a happy smile, "Nice job Sammy! For a minute I actually thought you were going to kill me."

She laughed and punched him in the arm, "Same to you 'lex."

Donnie walked towards him and swiped his thumb over the other's cheek, "You'd better take a shower here. I don't want to take over an hour cleaning the bathroom like last time."

Alex grinned and wiped his 'blood smeared' hands on his pants, only dirtying them further, "Yeah, I will. So, how was I?"

"Amazing!"

Donnie turned just as Alex looked over him to see two very familiar, excited redheads.

"Who're you?" asked the lighter haired man.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" One of the men working on the set said rushing over. They were near a forest yet surrounded by people carrying loads of equipment.

Alex waved him off, "Relax! They're friends of mine," he turned to Donnie, "Well; they're friends of Ame 'n Nina's. Hikaru and Karou right?"

The two nodded excitedly but a sharp voice called, "Alex! Hurry up and get changed!"

They all turned and at that moment to see a near living, breathing work of art. A woman of impeccable beauty and grace stood before them. Her cream colored skin looked more smooth and lovely than the liquid itself. Eyes like the loveliest and most expensive blue sapphire jewels glittered with unbridled passion. Black, strappy heels covered her perfectly arched feet, leading up to long, gorgeous legs. A small, tight black dress ended at her shapely curved thighs and hugged her hourglass figure, cutting off just above her plump, full breasts with no sleeves or straps. Slender, well-toned arms and delicate yet graceful fingers touched her pouty red rose petal lips. Lovely long, bountiful dark red hair was pulled into a messy yet stylish ponytail, yet many thin locks surrounded her face and curled lightly past her shoulders, the tail ending below her waist.

Her hips swayed a bit as she walked towards them, the grace of a dancer and the confidence of one who knew their goal and wasn't afraid in the least to achieve it. An heir of dangerous yet subtle femininity surrounded her seemingly airbrushed features. Her simple stride seemed to command the attention of everyone in the room, leaving them breathless.

A perfect eyebrow arched as she stood in front of the two newcomers, "And who are you?"

They blinked, "K-Karou," said the first.

"H-Hikaru," said the second.

"Hm," she brushed some of the hair away from her face, the small action even managing to look full of seduction, "Are you going to hurry up? We have an event to get to or are you even going?"

Alex shrugged, scratching some of the dried mud off his cheek, "I'm not sure…"

"You two both realize it was canceled this morning?" Donnie said dryly. At their surprised looks he sighed, "Honestly, you two say you're nothing alike but it's very obvious you're twins."

Hikaru and Karou snapped their attentions back and forth with shocking realization. Once you got past the male and female aspects of theirs it was startlingly obvious how similar the two looked. Both were mouthwateringly good-looking and had the same heir of one who wasn't ignored about them.

Lexi sighed, irritated, "Normally that would piss me off but today I have a meeting so it's fine. I'll expect to see you two tomorrow. It was nice meeting you Hikaru, Karou," they were surprised when she nodded to the correct ones of them before walking off. The brushed it off as a lucky guess but still couldn't take their eyes off her.

"Hey, I invited you guys down here to see the set, not to ogle my sister," Alex said brushing more dirt off of his hair.

They spun in surprise, "Sorry!"

Donnie shrugged, "You're not the first. She's almost disgustingly perfect. Hell, I'm gay and it still takes me forever to look at something else."

Alex clapped him on the back, "Yeah, at me," he laughed, "Alright, wait here guys. I'm gonna go get changed."

Once he cleaned up and changed into black jeans and a dark green hoodie they all were driven in a company van from the set location to Manhattan.

On the way Donnie sighed, "So, remind me again why you're here."

Hikaru looked around out the window at the sights excitedly, "We're big fans of the movie and the director! I can't believe it's getting postponed again!"

"Is that the only reason?"

Karou lifted a hand in a shrug, "Alex also wanted to talk to us about Kyoya."

Donnie nodded, "Ah. I wouldn't mind talking to you about Mori either."

Alex brushed some of his still damp hair from his eyes, "After the fire a lot of things had to be fixed, replaced, etc." he said waving his hand lightly, "Plus some idiot workers are starting drama with the company because their lives were in danger which is ridiculous since it's not the company's fault lightning struck the tent, so shooting is getting delayed even more," he looked annoyed, "With any luck we may get the movie in theatres by next June."

Hikaru clenched his fists in excitement, "I'm sure this is the last time it'll be postponed!"

Alex smiled, "Thanks."

Both boys were surprisingly good the whole way to the apartment. They stepped inside with a startling shock. Though not as large as their mansion, the entire top floor of a near skyscraper view of a snowy New York through a giant glass wall was enough to take their breath away.

Alex grinned, "Nice ain't it?"

The two nodded while Donnie walked towards a room to the far left of the loft, "Alright, you guys do whatever, just don't destroy the apartment. Don't bother me unless there's a fire."

The twins glanced at Alex who shrugged, "Donnie's a history professor. He took a day off to come see me at work."

Hikaru whistled, "Wow, I can barely pay attention in history. How does he teach it?"

The tallest redhead cracked his knuckles and yawned, "He says it's the easiest to teach because history never changes so once you learn the material you're an expert for life."

Karou blinked, "He's got a point," looking around the loft more he noticed the main floor before the window was quite large, consisting of a large space of room, a giant beige couch, a television set with almost every game console they could think of, a bookshelf full of video games, a giant silver stereo set next to the bookshelf, a large open kitchen space to the right, complete with a giant fridge, cabinets, stools to an island, a bar, a sleek, black electric oven, and to the left after going up three steps there was a large workspace slightly out of view due to another oddly placed wall.

"Where do you guys sleep?" asked Hikaru.

Nodding towards the door Alex said, "We own the whole floor so instead of having a house with an up and downstairs we made this section our day-to-day room and down the hall is an entire apartment made into one huge bedroom."

Once he stopped speaking they heard a door shut. Alex frowned, "That's weird. No one else lives up here," Opening the front door he happily cheered, "Jenny!"

Hikaru glanced around the corner and saw a mousy looking girl standing outside the far hall door. She looked ordinary with brown hair, brown eyes, and average, slightly pretty features. An almost culture shock to the beautiful people Hikaru and Karou were used to seeing more and more of lately. This was more pronounced when the actor hugged the girl, his almost perfect features making the girl look even plainer.

She frowned in annoyance to the man's hug, "Will you get off me? I was just here to pick up Dae's contact case."

He mock gasped, "What was Dae doing in my bedroom?!" Leaning to call into the apartment he said dramatically, "Donnie, how could you violate the sanctity of our home!?"

Donnie replied dryly, "You're the one who wanted a sleepover with the girls you fucking idiot."

"Oh yeah," he grinned jokingly.

Jenn giggled, "Alright then. You two work that out while I-oh, hello," she said noticing the boys, "Are you friends of Alex's?"

He put his arm around her shoulder, "Friends of my cousin's. Guys, this is my bestest friend, Jennifer."

"Call me Jenn," she smiled holding out her hand.

"Hikaru,"

"Karou,"

She grinned, "Nice to meet you," turning to Alex she smiled, "Alright you big oaf, I'm gonna get going. Last time you kept me here for six hours trying out cake recipes Dae nearly called the police."

Alex made a whipping noise and pretended to use one.

Jenn frowned, "Oh fuck off. You're whipped too," she replied before walking to the elevator. Turning she said to the two shorter redheads, "Good luck guys. You're going to need it with him."

Alex stretched, "Alright, who's up for some dinner?"

Later the twins found themselves sitting at the island on barstools watching Alex cook in a surprisingly professional manner.

Karou looked around the apartment a little more before noticing a picture next to the salt and pepper. It was of four people in bathing suits; the background a forest and the top of a rushing waterfall. Standing on the left in lime green trunks was Donnie. In the middle with his right arm around Donnie and the tallest was Alex wearing dark blue and black trunks looking more sun kissed than he did at the moment. Standing significantly shorter with Alex's left arm around her shoulders and wearing a two piece green and white polka dot bikini was Jennifer. She looked incredibly happy, a sweet smile on her face. Her body, though not very shapely, wasn't too bad though Karou could think of a few better looks for the girl. Standing next to Jenn with her arm around the girl's waist was a shock. A gorgeous beauty, more suited to standing next to people like Alex and Donnie, was a head taller than Jenn. Long jet black hair fell down her back past her waist, which was flat, toned, and smooth looking. Her skin was significantly paler than the others but nearly as perfect as Alex's. Her eyes were dark and managed to glitter mischievously even in the photo. Her body looked amazingly fit and feminine.

"Who's that?" asked Karou.

Alex glanced back from the oven, "Oh, that's Dae. She's Jenn's girlfriend."

"Is everyone around here gay?" said Hikaru.

The actor grinned, "You're in New York. One third of the population is rainbow and proud of it or in the closet," he joked before smiling gently at the picture, "Jenn and Dae are two of our best friends. They introduced me and Donnie to each other."

"Really?" said Karou.

"Mhmm," he hummed, stirring something, "My sister and I moved around a lot when we were younger and used to live in Michigan. Dae was Donnie's best friend in high school, though she still is his best friend, and me and Jenn were the same way. When those two fell in love and were always hanging out me and Donnie were always with them."

"And you fell in love," said Karou as a statement.

Alex laughed, "Oh hell no, he hated me and to be honest I didn't like him either."

The twins stared, "Then how-?

"-did you

"-end up together?" they finished in unison.

Grabbing milk from the fridge and pouring some in a bowl, Alex laughed, "Oh god, I remember when Lexi and I would do that to piss off our teachers. Once when we were younger and both of us were really skinny we actually dressed up like the other and switched schedules for the day. One of Lexi's admirers actually confessed to me and said I looked more beautiful than ever," he continued laughing, the sound actually warm and pleasant. Finally when he finished with a few breaths he walked to one of the kitchen drawers, opened one, and pulled out a picture, "Here, Lexi doesn't know I still have it so don't tell her."

They both blinked in confusion. Twins, looking to be about the age of middle school kids stood in front of a school. Both were the same height and had short red hair and dark blue eyes and looked exactly alike, not quite old enough to distinguish the gender differences between the two unless you looked at their clothes. 'Lexi' had straightened hair, making 'her' look more feminine, a dragonfly barrette, a green camouflage shirt, and a black skirt over blue jeans with sandals. 'Alex' had 'his' hair spiked a black shirt with a white and silver graphic design on it, and a pair of baggy blue jeans with a thick black belt over 'his' waist and boots.

With a chuckle Alex said, "My first cross-dressing experience and sadly not my last. Anyway, to continue with what I was saying, Donnie couldn't stand me. Despite the two year difference he was already a senior so I saw a lot of him in classes even without the girls and I actually thought, at first, he hated me because I was gay but Dae always told me that wasn't it. I was really openly gay in high school and a lot of guys either hated me because of it or because I got more attention from girls than any guy in the school. It was actually kind of annoying that they wanted to turn me. The price of good looks I guess," He shrugged and said in a very Tamaki-manner, "Anyway, I thought it was the gay thing so to piss him off I would flirt with him and tease him but I found out that he hated how much of a stereotype I was."

"Stereotype?" asked Karou.

He nodded, "Yeah. It's pretty obvious I'm about as straight as a circle but I was a LOT worse then and he thought I was reinforcing the standard stereotypes people thought about gays. Anyway, once we got past that I actually fell pretty hard for the guy and convinced him to run away with me. I was eighteen at the time and was offered a modeling contract in New York. Donnie was having a hard time with his family, bunch of bigots," he muttered, "But came with me in the end. We used some connections to get him into a good college, which I offered to pay for but the stubborn jackass wanted to be independent and got a job as an assistant teacher for history. It gets him extra credit but since the old history professor died Donnie pretty much took over the job. They were gonna use him as a replacement until they hired someone else but he exceeded expectations so much they just let him keep the job and the money he earns goes towards his tuition fees so we're living off my paycheck for now."

"Nice paycheck," Hikaru said looking out of the window-wall.

Alex nodded, "Yeah, this movie deal got us a pretty sweet place. We're doing alright though it does get pretty busy."

"How does your family feel about you running away?" asked Karou.

"Tradition," Alex smiled, "A lot of our family takes off once we reach eighteen. My sis took off after middle school to go finish law school and work in a law firm by the time she turned eighteen. Whole family is crazy smart by the way," he said turning off a few burners, "Not sure why be we're a whole family of brains. Anyway, she was going into law hardcore until I started modeling and acting but long story short, the director had a twin for me in mind and she wasn't bad but my sis was around the day we started filming and hated her. She didn't like the way she was acting and claimed she could do better and did. You wouldn't believe to look on my boss's face when he found out I had a twin with the same skills in martial arts I did and adaptability to acting," Pulling out something from the oven he made a large plateful, "You guys help yourselves. I'm gonna take this to Donnie."

Walking out of the kitchen and across the loft to his office space Alex placed the plate on Donnie's desk, "Be sure to eat it all and don't work too hard."

The light haired shifted his food with his fork, "You really diluted that story."

He smirked and kissed the younger man, "Well they don't need to know everything about us."

Donnie raised an eyebrow, "The thing about the stereotypes wasn't a lie though, and you did annoy me."

"Screw you."

* * *

Kyoya was pissed, exhausted, the temperature in the soup kitchen was seventy eight degrees, and he was dressed in an extremely warm deer suit from the neck down, a big red ball forced onto his nose, and antlers on his head.

Over the course of the day Kyoya had been forced into a reindeer costume, sent to work helping out in the kitchen which kept him sweating all day and when he saw a man in the front fall and tried to help him up the man threw up on him. Thankfully he could at least now take off the reindeer costume but his clothes underneath were soaked underneath with sweat and going outside to cool off risked hypothermia.

So at the moment, the boy was sitting in the back of the kitchen near the exit on an uncomfortable metal chair in soaked clothes while the girls were in the front serving food, Mori was outside helping people in and honey was helping people who could carry their food.

He sighed heavily, feeling tired, irritated, and slightly cold now that he was cooling off. Suddenly one of the doors opened sending a slight blast of warmth into the kitchen. Nina came trotting through humming Jingle Bells with Honey. Upon seeing Kyoya she paused, "Damn Glasses, you look like hell."

Kyoya chose to glare while speaking in a dangerously low voice, "Someone's boyfriend physically put me into that ridiculous outfit which forced all of the water out of my system and onto my bare flesh. I'm currently trying to figure out whether I will die of dehydration or hypothermia first."

"Jeesh, you're acting like I killed your firstborn child," she said. When he simply continued to glare she sighed, "We're about to finish up for the day so we'll be leaving soon."

"Oh joy," he said dryly.

When he continued to glare she sighed, "Look, I'll make it up to you."

"How exactly do you plan to do that?" he questioned.

She thought for a moment when an idea clicked in her head. Quickly she bent to whisper something in Honey's ear. He shook his head in agreement and ran through the door. A few minutes later Ame came rushing through the door, "Oh, Kyoya are you alright?!"

He blinked, "Well I-" he stopped in pleasant surprise when she hugged him.

Ame rubbed his arms with her hands, "It's worse than I thought. Honey told me you were in here freezing yourself to death! You have a set of clothes at my house. We'll leave early and I'll make you some warm tea."

As she walked him out he glanced at Nina who winked, "You guys go on ahead. We'll clean up here," she sighed as they left and rubbed her hands together.

Walking through the door Honey tugged on her dress, "Nina-chan, why did you want me to tell her those things?"

'_Because she can tell when I'm lying,'_ Nina almost said but despite knowing he was eighteen she couldn't bring herself to say that to Honey's awaiting face and said, "Well, uh, I had to make sure Kyoya's temperature stayed above freezing. Now then, why don't you give Mori a break and tell him to come in so he can help me serve the last of the food while you help at the door?"

"Okay!" he said happily.

Nina smiled gently and went back to serve. Lost in thought she was startled when Mori's cold hand patted her shoulder, "What!? Oh, sorry Mori, I didn't see you."

"Gomen,"

"No it's okay," she patted the hand on her shoulder, "My god, you're freezing! Here," she took both of his hands and began using her breath to warm them up.

Mori blushed as she put her mouth over each finger and blew a little. Each one only lasted a second but it was enough to send his thoughts in a jumble. Quickly he retracted his hands, "Arigato."

Nina blinked in surprise, "No problem."

As they served the last few people Mori became more aware of Nina. This was the first they had been paired together all day. He'd wanted to spend time with her but to him it seemed like she was avoiding him. They took the last of the dishes to the back when Mori finally asked, "Is something wrong?"

Once again startled out of her thoughts Nina answered quickly, "N-nothing! Why do you ask?"

He watched her for a moment.

She sighed, "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

Mori brushed a hand over her cheek, "If it's something I can help with, tell me."

Nina stared at him before muttering, "My adopted mom died yesterday," she noticed his startled expression and said, "Look, I don't want to talk about it here, okay? Plus, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

She expected him to fuss but surprisingly he walked away and began doing tasks. It took her a few minutes to realize he was cleaning and helping the other workers at an alarmingly fast rate. In about five minutes their jobs were done. He quickly grabbed her hand, pulled her into the other room, ushered Honey out, and helped put Nina's coat on her.

The redhead raised an eyebrow, "Jeesh, you really wanna talk about this huh?" when he nodded she sighed, "Alright, alright. Call a car for Honey and we'll-"

"Wait!" said Honey, "Why don't you come over?"

They both blinked in surprise, "Oh, that's okay Honey. I-"

"No!" he whined, "You never come over! You need to meet Satoshi and Chika, and Piyo and Pome!"

"Piyo and Pome?" Nina questioned.

"Yeah!" Honey said, "Takashi's pet chicken and raccoon! He loves baby animals and cute things too!"

She grinned up at the embarrassed man, "Oh I have _got_ to see this."

On the car ride to their house Honey continued talking, "Takashi found the raccoon and saved the baby chick! He loves to play with them and cuddle them."

"Does he?" she said with a sly smile in the taller boy's direction.

"Yep," Honey said, oblivious to Mori's look of dread, "he also makes toy models of toy action figures and planes and can even play the harp!"

"Wow," Nina grinned at Mori, "I had no idea you were so _sensitive_."

Mori blushed deeper and glanced out the window. As much as he loved Honey this was the one rare moment he wanted to throw the boy.

"Takashi also wants to be a lawyer," he said bobbing on the seat, happy the girl was coming over.

Nina raised her eyebrows, "Really?"

"Hn," Mori nodded.

She looked down, "That's cool. I was thinking about going into law."

This surprised him.

Green eyes noticed his expression, "Not like a lawyer or anything. I was thinking about becoming a social worker. There are a lot of mistreated kids out there," the last part was said quietly.

Mori wanted to ask but Honey suddenly yelped, "We're here!"

They stepped out of the car where Nina's eyes grew wide. The house was large and in traditional Japanese style, "Your home is beautiful."

Honey grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Once they made their way into the house Honey insisted on showing her everything. Mori made sure to direct him from disturbing anyone in the house. At one point the pair of boys managed to lose the girl. She wandered around for a bit trying to make sense of the rooms until she finally slid open a door to see the familiar back of her boyfriend's head sitting on a couch.

"Mori!" she said hurrying to the couch and throwing her arms around him, "Where were you? I-Oh, hi!" She stopped when, on another couch a young boy with wide brown eyes, glasses, and brown hair was looking at her in shock, "Who is tha-ahh!" she quickly retracted her arms in surprise. Sitting on the couch was someone who looked extremely like Mori but significantly younger, "Ah…sorry! I, uh, thought you were someone else."

Both boys stared openly with shock at the strange woman in their house. Luckily behind them the door slid open revealing Mori and Honey, "Nina!"

She turned, "Oh thank god!"

"Who are you and why did you try to strangle me!" said the one that looked like Mori in rough English.

She waved her hands quickly, "No, no, no! I wasn't strangling you! I was hugging you!"

"Why did you hug him?" Mori asked.

"Well, I wasn't hugging him! I mean I was but…well, ugh, dammit! Basically I thought I was hugging you!" she snapped, "Is he your dad or something?"

"I'm thirteen!" said the boy.

"Well I don't know!" Nina said tossing up her hands before pointing at Honey, "I thought _he_ was like five so I didn't know if it was a syndrome in your family or something!"

"He's my brother," Mori said before turning and saying something to them both in Japanese. Nina waited while everyone conversed, looking around awkwardly. Finally Nina sighed, "Honey, what's going on?"

"The one with black hair is Satoshi, Mori's little brother and the one with glasses is Chika, my little brother."

She stared, "So are you the only one that doesn't look your age?"

"Yup," he smiled, "I'm one of a kind."

"You're certainly something," she muttered, "So what's going on?"

He looked at the group, "Mori told them you're his girlfriend but Satoshi doesn't believe him. Chika thinks you're an assassin or a…" he paused, "What's a succubus?"

She gave Chika a dry look.

Mori sighed, "Nina, this is Satoshi, my little brother. Chika is Honey's little brother."

Satoshi held out his hand which Nina shook, "Nice to meet you."

"N-Nice to meet you too"

She smiled, "Sorry again. Thought you were him."

"It's okay," he said a little muddled.

Nina tapped her chin, "Your English is pretty good. I wish I could speak Japanese as well but I only know a little."

He blinked before looking at Mori who translated. He smiled and said something that caused Mori to knock him in the back of the head.

She looked at Honey, "What did he say?"

Honey opened his mouth when suddenly Mori pushed Nina out of the way at the same time Chika threw a nearby candlestick. Honey quickly back flipped out of the way.

Nina sat back up in time to see Chika throw something small and black that Honey leapt into the air to avoid, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Chika leapt in the air with a yell, fist ready to hit his brother. Nina got into her stance and with a shocking amount of power swung her leg around and slammed a sharp black boot right into the brown haired boy who then crashed into the wall, "KNOCK IT OFF! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

The boy sucked in a sharp amount of breath before falling to the floor, "Are you okay?!" asked Satoshi.

Nina bit her nail, "Yeah, I might've put a little too much into it. You okay?"

"S…"

"Huh?"

"Sugoi!"

Nina looked at Mori, "I assume that means F you?"

He shook his head, "Awesome."

"Seriously?" she said eyebrows rose, "Well, glad you liked it. Now will someone tell me why you attacked him in the first place?"

Honey tugged on her dress, "It's a Haninozuka tradition that whenever one of us sees each other we have to fight."

"Oh…oh! I'm so sorry!" Nina said flailing her arms.

Chika stood, dusted himself off, and started speaking quickly. Nina looked at Mori who seemed to be exhausted with all the extra talking already. Honey noticed this and translated, "Where did you learn to kick and can you teach me?"

She sent him a grim smile, "I learned that from my boss in Brooklyn."

Chika spoke which Honey said in English, "Your boss must have been very wise."

He continued to speak for Nina as she snorted, "He was an ex-bouncer who got fired and started a bakery. It was in a bad neighborhood so he made sure I knew how to defend myself if the wrong customer came in."

"Well, will you teach me?"

She looked at Mori who shrugged. Nina smiled at the boy, "Alrighty then. Got a place we can fight?"

* * *

"Wow!" Nina said amazed at the size of their dojo, "This room is bigger than my apartment," Looking at Mori she smiled, "Alright then, shall we get started with the demonstration?"

Mori shook his head and walked towards a cabinet in the corner. He gathered a bundle of fabric before taking it back to Nina.

She stared at it a moment, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? Afraid I'll embarrass you in front of them if I kick your ass in a dress?"

To her surprise he laughed. Nina grabbed the fabric, "Fine pretty boy. Show me a place to change and let's get started.

Tying her obi a little tighter around her waist Nina got into her stance, "Ready to lose?"

Mori grinned, "I thought this was a demonstration?"

She smirked, "I'll demonstrate my kick once I've softened you up with a few blows. Don't want my leg to get sore."

On the sidelines Satoshi turned to Honey, "What are they saying?"

After translating Chika snorted, "The girl really is American isn't she? Fighting is supposed to be about honor, not trash talk."

Satoshi grinned, "Yeah but I heard American girls are known for fighting dirty anyway."

Honey suddenly grew quiet causing the two to look at him. On his face was a horrendously dangerous smile. In a low, calm voice Honey said, "Nina is a sweet, funny, kind girl who makes Takashi happy. I would appreciate for you to not speak badly of her."

They both nodded in wide eyed fear.

Satisfied Honey turned back into his cheerful self, "Good luck Nina-chan!"

Satoshi and Chika shivered in horror and took three steps away from the smaller boy.

Once they both were ready Honey called out, "Fight-o!"

Nina quickly rushed the bigger man. He sidestepped to avoid having to attack her head on so as not to hurt her but in surprise she did the same as if avoiding an invisible attack, causing the two to come face to face where she dropped and swiped her leg under him. Fortunately he was not caught too off guard and back flipped to regain his ground.

She smiled, "I may not know fancy ways to fight like you do but as they say, 'The best swordsman can beat the second best swordsman because he knows everything he does. It is the worst swordsman he fears because he does not know what to expect'."

Mori's eyebrows rose as well as Satoshi's when Honey translated. It was a quote their father liked to say.

An hour passed with Nina's confusing fighting maneuvers and Mori's attempts to avoid them without hurting the girl. Finally in a brilliant display Mori tried to grab the girl as she rushed him once more but quickly dropped to her knees and slid completely underneath of his legs. Once an inch behind him she demonstrated her excellent flexibility by throwing her hands behind her back onto the floor to stop sliding and quickly pushed her body weight up into the air so she could flip and land directly in front of him. In the time of her little trick Mori had already spun around to try and grab her again. Utilizing her opportunity Nina swung her leg around and slammed into the man's side propelling him to the right about a foot and onto his knees.

Nina balanced on one foot and clutched her leg, "Dammit! You're a lot more solid than that kid."

Mori stood and quickly helped her lie down.

"Whoa!" yelled Satoshi.

"I have to admit, that was impressive," said Chika begrudgingly.

Once Honey translated to Nina she frowned, "Impressive?! I nearly broke my freaking leg on this guy!"

Satoshi shook his head, "But only Honey has ever brought Mori to his knees!"

Nina grimaced a little at the thought her brain came up with. Suddenly the thought flew from her mind when Mori slowly pushed her pant leg up to her thigh, then lifted her leg with one large, calloused hand on her Achilles heel while the other hand felt along her leg for a break, the motions giving her Goosebumps, "Does anything hurt?"

"I wouldn't say 'hurt'."

He glanced at her in confusion.

Chika suddenly looked at Honey, "I want a rematch!"

Satoshi sighed, "If you plan on using Nina's moves Honey already saw them."

"So?"

Honey pouted, "But I wanted to bake a cake with Nina-chan!"

"Later!" he said pulling the boy along, Satoshi following close behind, "You guys coming? They usually fight outside so they don't damage anything."

"Nah, I want a rematch too," she said looking at Mori who had translated for them.

The younger boy shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Green eyes narrowed, "So, why'd you take it easy on me?"

Mori frowned, "It was a demonstration, not a fight."

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine. So, anything damaged?"

He continued to feel along her leg but the moment he touched her thigh the girl shivered, "Did that hurt?"

Her expression was unreadable, "Are you serious?"

Mori felt worried by her strange behavior.

Nina sighed, "It's still kind of sore but I want to see more of your house. Do you mi-whoa," without question he lifted her into his arms, "Thanks. So, where's your room in this giant place?"

Carrying her down a few more hallways Mori was still curious about her unusual behavior when the thought struck him, "You said your mother died?"

A tense silence followed before she answered, "Yeah but I'm fine. I went to Oklahoma yesterday-"

"You were in Oklahoma?"

"Yes," she snapped, "I was and I'm fine. I had to go and identify the body. She died in a car wreck. I know I should be devastated but I swear I'm fine. I haven't seen her in years and even when I lived with her I was never home long enough for us to have a decent conversation especially when she was drunk and high out of her mind. My childhood really wasn't that bad though. I spent most of the time with my friends and my old boss' family, you know the ex-bouncer I talked about? He had a wife and two daughters my age so I was always over. I've actually had a lot of people looking after me through my life so I'm only gonna say this once; I am fine and there is nothing to worry about, okay?"

They had made it to his room by the time she had finished speaking. He smiled grimly, "You've had a strange life."

She laughed, "You have no idea. Wow," Nina looked around the large room. It was simple with things like a dresser, a few shelves with model action figures, planes, and cars, yet was also large enough for a small sofa and table. The floor was nicely carpeted in a faded white color, "Your room's larger than the apartment."

He shrugged and set her on the couch. She motioned for him to sit down, "Come here. I wanna take a look at your side."

Mori sat but patted his side.

The redhead huffed, "Hey, you checked my leg. It's only fair I make sure you're okay."

He sighed but sat. Before he could pull his shirt aside she shook her head, "I can do it."

Mori's eyebrows shot up but was wordless when she began to untie his obi. Slowly she pulled the front open, her fingers grazing his skin, "Nina?"

"Hm?" she said placing her hand on his side, "Does this hurt?"

He shook his head.

She continued to trace her fingers along his side, moving across his skin until she reached his stomach, stopping over his abs, "It doesn't hurt here does it?"

Feeling his stomach tighten into knots Mori cleared his throat, "N-no."

Nina moved her hand up until it was over his hammering heart, "What about here?"

It felt as if his heart was beating a tattoo on the outside of his skin. Without really thinking he nodded a little.

To his shock Nina leaned forward and placed her lips lightly on his skin, "How's that?" she murmured.

The action made him shiver. Suddenly an immediate thought reminded his brain of the way she had reacted to his touch along with the coy smiles. Narrowing his eyes he grabbed her wrist before she could move.

Nina's eyebrows raised, "Something wrong?" she went to move her other arm but without thinking he grabbed it with his other hand and forced her back against the sofa.

He had begun to worry about his actions if she had done anymore but with a start he realized he was slightly on top of her while she was against the cushions. Receding back he began to apologize but she giggled, "Jeesh, you look like you just committed murder."

"Well I- you're injured and-"

"Oh, this injury?" she smiled lifting her leg into the air, her foot pointed towards the ceiling. The slightly oversized pant leg fell to her thigh, revealing her lovely long, smooth leg.

* * *

Chika scowled, angry at his brother's poweress and agility, "I would've won if the sun wasn't so bright!"

Satoshi gave him a sidelong glance, "It's a blanket of clouds out there."

"Well you saw! It broke though for enough seconds for him to win!"

Honey grinned brightly, "That's okay Chika! Next time we'll fight in the rain."

He growled at the cheerful boy.

Suddenly a crash caught everyone's attention.

"What was that?!" said Honey.

They each ran towards the noise but going in different directions. Chika had run past Mori's room, but was surprised to find the door slightly ajar. He looked through the open space but the scene before him caused his pupils to dilate.

He had just in time witnessed Mori slam Nina against the wall on the right, causing her to cry out. His shirt was open and the look in his eyes almost feral; a growling noise escaping his lips. Chika wanted to do something but to his shock he realized the girl was grinning almost crazily, an equally dangerous yet daring look in her eyes.

By then he noticed Nina's shirt was also open but still closed enough to cover her breasts; however this detail didn't last long. Though he hadn't needed to Mori quickly ripped the shirt from her shoulders, his breathing labored. Chika couldn't believe what he was seeing but in the next moment Mori completely blocked her from view as he kissed and bit different areas of Nina's neck, slowly making his way downwards. Nina moaned, her panting increasing the lower he went until his mouth hovered over her plump, round breasts. Her hands moved to cup them but Mori grabbed her wrists and slammed them on either side of her against the wall. With seemingly barely controlled patience he continued to let his breath pant onto her breasts, causing each peach colored nipple to harden. Nina continued to whimper and moan, her back arching as she struggled to escape his grasp in her endeavor to reach his mouth.

Finally he lowered his head enough to lick one of the pink nubs, eliciting a shocked yelp from his captive. Mori continued to lightly swirl his tongue around her areolas before taking the tender flesh completely into his mouth. The next moment made Chika wince as the tall man bit down and pulled her nipple, letting it graze through his teeth before popping out of his mouth and back to the heavy mound, yet Nina only seemed to moan more as she repeatedly threw her head back and arched. Mori quickly switched and repeated the same methods to the other breast, leaving both her nipples a bright cherry red color. Giving a light peck to each of them he trailed more wet kisses downward until he reached the hem of her pants.

"What are you doing?"

"Gah!" Chika screeched, quickly slamming the door shut.

Satoshi's eyes widened, "Whoa! What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" he yelled before flinching and saying in a quieter voice, "Nothing at all! Where's Honey?"

In that moment the blonde haired boy happily skipped towards them, "Now that we're finished fighting Nina and I can bake a cake!"

With shocking speed Chika grabbed both Honey and Satoshi by the collar, dragging both of them, "No! We are going to train until I get that kick right!"

"But Chikaaaaa!" Honey whined.

"What's gotten into you?" asked Satoshi.

Chika gritted his teeth, _'Mori, you are paying for my next video, no, next TEN video games and that's that!'_

* * *

Back in the bedroom the couple hadn't noticed anything beyond each other. Mori had stroked his long fingers between the folds of her pussy through the soft fabric of her pants. His other hand had reached under her pant leg and ran across the toned skin on her calves. When her mewling had turned into soft cries he finally yet slowly pulled her pants past her curved hips and long legs. His eyebrows rose to find her wearing no underwear, the glossy liquid soaking her completely shaven mound. Using his hand, he gently cupped her and pulled apart her lips, inserting his middle finger.

Nina gasped an electric current going through her body as he continued to stroke the digit inside of her. After a few more strokes he noticed she was wholly wet enough to insert a second and soon a third finger. Though her passage was slick she was still tight enough to offer some resistance. Nina had bitten her lip in an effort to not make too much noise, throaty moans escaping every now and then.

Mori closed his eyes as her aroma enticed him. Without thinking he leaned forward and gave her folds a swipe with his tongue.

Her reaction shocked him as her hands buried into his hair, her nails digging into his scalp, her gasps and cries more apparent. Mori continued using a combination of his fingers and his tongue. While one stroked her tunnel, his fingers curling to hit her sweet spot, he alternated between long licks of her creamy petals and occasional flicking and nibbling her clit. After a few more seconds of the sweet torture Nina's knees buckled as her orgasm crashed throughout her body. Luckily Mori sensed her oncoming release and stood in time to catch her, his fingers still buried inside of her and moving just enough to help her ride the final few shockwaves.

As his fingers slowed so did Nina's breathing, yet she continued to clutch his shoulders in an effort to stay upright. This was unneeded as one of his muscled arms had encircled her slim waist. After a few moments Mori slowly slid his fingers out of her; the feeling caused her to bite her lip as well as made her eyes flutter closed in pleasure. She blinked her eyes open just in time to see her boyfriend bring them to his lips before he sucked them clean, his eyes locked on hers as he savored the taste.

Once he was finished she grinned a sharp grin, "Now it's my turn."

With a surprising shove Nina forced the man onto the floor while she stood, "Lie on your back," she commanded.

His eyes glinted as he did what he was told, but sat up on his elbows so he could look at her lovely form.

"Stay," she ordered. To his amazement Nina had leaned against the wall and brought her right hand down to massage her clit and lips while her other hand cupped her breast. With one foot against the wall and the other against the floor Nina hid nothing as she worked her body back to the lust filled passion she had a moment ago. Emerald green eyes met his half lidded gaze, "Take them off."

Mori looked down to see he still had his pants on, though his member stood proudly, the precum slightly wetting the front. He hurriedly removed and tossed them to the side. Looking up he caught the hungered look in her eyes. Licking her lips Nina slowly lowered herself down to sit on his muscled thighs, her hand still stroking herself. Finally after a sigh she pulled her dripping wet fingers out to begin rubbing the sleek fluid all around Mori's length. The moment she touched him he gritted his teeth as his excitement heightened. Nina repeatedly cupped herself to gather more fluid before using it to stroke the well-toned man until he was almost bucking into her hand. After a few more strokes the redhead pressed both hands on his hips and put her whole weight on his legs to keep him from bucking so she could let her hot breath flow around the head of his dick.

The dark haired boy did everything in his power to stay still. He glared down at his devious girlfriend who had a coy smile on her face as she enjoyed her revenge. The amount of time she simply breathed around his member lasted much longer than his time spent sweetly torturing her nipples until she finally took pity. She gently licked the tip, the unexpected move nearly causing him to buck her off his legs. She giggled at his reaction and the embarrassed look that followed but continued to lap at his exceptionally large length, the feeling causing his head to reel and swim with pleasure. However, those reactions were nothing to when she finally took his girth in her mouth, a little surprised by the thickness of it but managed to accommodate a good amount. Nina switched between sucking and swirling her tongue around the smooth underside, making little patterns around the tip. She stopped when she heard a surprising yet startling growl as he pulled her off of his length and forced her back against the carpet.

Their eyes locked and in one brief moment of clarity he asked her if she was ready.

Nina grinned, "I've been on the pill for the past three months waiting for this. You think I want you to stop, or are you worried I might be too much for you?"

His grip tightened around her wrists as his resolve solidified. Leaning close to her ear he near snarled in a deep, sexy voice, "We'll see whose limit will be tested."

She shivered as goosebumps rose on her smooth skin. Her only warning came from the look in his eyes before he plunged deep inside of her, quickly swallowing her scream with a kiss. Their tongues battled and teeth clicked as he fucked her harder and harder, going deeper than she had ever felt before. Nina cried out, her lungs desperate for air but his quick, slamming strokes made her gasp in desire. With each thrust the rug would burn against her back as the flesh was rubbed raw, yet gave her pleasure a level of intensity that made her want to cry and scream at the same time.

Mori felt an equal amount of burning pain as her nails ripped into his flesh, beginning to draw blood yet was ignored as he buried himself deeper into her tight, slick, folds. His hands found her breasts, each full and heavy yet the perfect size for his hands. Mori's callouses lightly scratched the soft globes as his powerful fingers messaged the sensitive tissue. With the intensity becoming almost too much to bear Nina's orgasm struck her like a white hot lightning bolt. In that moment she had bitten down hard onto her boyfriend's shoulder in an effort to keep from screaming. The jolt of pain sent Mori over the edge into his ecstasy as he came.

Tightening his hold on her strong yet delicate frame, Mori bit into Nina's shoulder. It wasn't as hard as she did but just enough to leave a mark before licking the wound. The redhead shivered as she came back to Earth, her eyes seeing stars. Noticing, Mori hugged her closer, trying to give her as much of his warmth as possible.

It took a few minutes but their breathing finally slowed to a few pants at a time. The Wild Host member cuddled her closer, which was an amazing feat due to their closeness already. Resting his head in the crook of her neck he gave her a gentle kiss before saying in a deep tone, "You are a treasure."

Green eyes still closed she smiled and kissed his cheek, "You're pretty amazing yourself. Oh, and you won."

He chuckled, "You didn't hit your head did you?"

"Mm, mm," she frowned questionably, "Why?"

He grinned, his eyes still closed against her neck, "You never admit defeat so easily."

She scoffed and lightly slapped him against the arm, "Well asshole, I was going to say it was worth it with those moves but now I take it back."

Mori raised his head to look at her. What Nina saw made her breath catch in her throat.

His hair was damp with sweat and his smile was simple yet his eyes held a warmth she had never seen directed at her before. In that smile he radiated pure and simple love, devotion, adoration, etc. She raised a hand to rest it on his cheek, "Mori..."

He spoke in a still low but in a gentle tone full of warmth, "I love you."

Nina blinked hoping tears wouldn't fall. Giving him what she hoped was her best loving smile she giggled, "I love you more."

Mori chuckled before kissing her deeply. They stayed that way a little while before Nina yawned, "Jeesh, I feel like I just ran a marathon."

The dark haired man glanced at the clock before saying in a mildly surprised tone, "A four hour marathon."

"What?!" she said quickly sitting up but immediately felt dizzy, "Oomph."

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

Putting her hand on her forehead she laughed, "Yeah, just a little worn out. I didn't think I even had two hours in me but four?"

Mori laughed again before picking her up, "You'll have to stay here then."

She glanced at him suspiciously, "You planned this didn't you?"

Instead of answering he simply kissed her before walking to the bed, "Let me find something for us to wear."

Nina pouted, "Why can't we stay like this?"

He stared at her for a long minute before putting her down and getting into the bed with her.

She smiled in return but after a few seconds the haze started to lift and she suddenly felt shy.

Mori noticed her attempt to hide under the covers, "What's wrong?"

A light blush appeared on her cheeks, "Well, it's just. I know this sounds dumb after what we just did but I'm a little embarrassed. You're so fit and I'm just soft," she said poking her sides.

Feeling shock he pulled the covers from her to pull her close, "You are the most beautiful and loving woman I have ever seen. A woman should be soft but you shouldn't be worried. You are gorgeous."

Nina grinned, "Yeah. I'd rather be soft than all bone. I'm pretty sure you would've broken me otherwise."

Mori patted her hair, "I will never do anything to hurt you. No matter what size you choose I will always love you."

She blushed but felt happy at the same time.

"Yeah, I love you too."

* * *

Ame yawned until her lungs felt almost too full of air before snuggling closer into her pillow.

_'Man, it's warm today. I'm surprised but no point in complaining,'_ she thought and waited for sleep to come again.

After dozing off a few more minutes she began to feel uncomfortable, _"Ugh, now it's almost too warm."_

She tried rolling over but was surprised to find something blocking her.

_'Bah, did I fall asleep on the couch again?'_

For her third attempt Ame tried sitting up but realized something was holding her down.

_'Ugh, if Nina taped me to the couch again I'm gonna kill her.'_

Realizing she'll have to open her eyes at some point she was startled when whatever was holding her began to move.

_'What the hell?'_

Suddenly she heard a bang followed by the word "Dammit!"

_'That isn't Nina.'_

Her eyes flew open and she sat up in a panic only to blush in shock at a naked Kyoya holding his foot in pain. Upon seeing her, his face visibly paled, "Ame, you need to listen to me."

"Why the hell are you here naked?" she said shifting, causing the blanket to fall.

He blinked before quickly averting his eyes and tried to cover himself with the edge of the blanket.

Feeling her panic start to raise again she slowly looked down at herself.

She was naked as well

Once Kyoya had sufficiently covered his privates he cleared his throat, "I can explain."

Feeling hot tears in her eyes she said through gritted teeth, "What. Did. You. DO?"

* * *

_**Okay everyone, I am completely exhausted. It is one in the morning and normally I stay up way later than that but I've had a long day. However, I wanted to get this proof-read and out into the world. Be happy you guys are so freaking special.**_

_***Note: Yes I am aware that this is a sexual chapter but it's my first one. I also don't care what kind of reviews you send me. This is a sex chapter so tell me what you like, didn't like, and how I can improve or even funny suggestive comments but don't be a creeper.**_

_**Be sure to review :D**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hi everyone! Welcome to another installment of 'Warmth'! Now then, at the end of the chapter there is going to be a few things I would like everyone to read before they move onto something else. Once you are done be sure to review! Oh and send me any spelling errors if you want. I'll fix them when I get the chance. They bother me just as much as they bother you but when you spend over an hour attempting to type because things keep distracting you and when you're finally done and your eyes are too tired to bother reading over everything until later but you want to get the chapter out then honest mistakes can happen.**_

**Disclaimer**_**: SEXY CUPCAKE! (I don't know ^-^ )**_

* * *

_"Venus!" The man snarled._

_A woman of feral beauty ran as her brother chased her through the woods. The battle raged around them as an army of demons fought the remaining army of humans. Screams of terror and death reached their inhuman ears while the smell of fire, smoke, and burning flesh both demon and otherwise stung their eyes and noses._

"_Try and catch me Damien," her laugher echoed through the trees._

_His eyes narrowed as he moved faster, running until his lungs began to burn. Finally bursting through a clearing in the trees he was shocked by what he saw._

_Atop a craggy hill with the sky blood red and full of smoke above her was Venus. In her arms with her claws almost piercing the girl's throat was Bethany whimpering in terror._

"_Beth!" Damien started._

"_Don't move," Venus snarled. Her claws sunk deeper, "Or I'll rip her pretty neck to shreds."_

_He stared in anxiousness, "You can't do this."_

_She grinned, her once beautiful smile twisting into horribly ugly features as her mind snapped, "You shouldn't have betrayed me. We could have ruled together," She slowly backed against the cliff side._

_Damien noticed, "You said you wouldn't hurt her!"_

_For a moment Venus looked as if she would let her go. Suddenly her hold tightened, "And you said you were my brother."_

"_No!"_

_Turning quickly she threw the girl off the cliff, a shattering scream ripping from her lungs."_

_Venus threw back her head, a horrible, unstable laugh._

_Suddenly a gunshot resounded through the air, causing her to scream and clutch her bloodied shoulder, which was already beginning to heal. Venus turned with an astonished gasp, "You! How!?"_

_Bethany stepped from behind a tree, her gun still smoking._

_Damien walked to stand beside her, "You planned to rip her neck to shreds? Look at it now."_

_Her eyes widened to see the soft glow of a ruby gem around her neck. Venus put her hand to her hip and smirked, "The Gem of Illusions. I guess you aren't as stupid as I assumed you to be."_

_Bethany cocked her gun, "You aren't the only one we've fooled."_

"_Humph," she frowned, "I thought it was interesting your army doubled overnight."_

_Damien glared, "Your army is about finished killing each other. You've lost."_

"_Oh have I?" She smirked, "The war has just begun," she backed up to stand at the very tip of the cliff, "And you, dear brother, have picked the wrong side."_

"_No!" Damien quickly tried to grab her just as she fell. The last thing he saw before she disappeared into the fog was her two blood red eyes._

"Cut!"

Blinking out of his character role Alex quickly leaned over the side of the 'mountain', "Lexi! You alright?"

Once the fake fog cleared Lexi looked up from the giant inflated "marshmallow" as they liked to call it, "I'm okay! Stop worrying about me!"

He grinned and called back, "Well move! I wanna jump now!"

She rolled her eyes but obliged.

Alex turned and offered a hand, "Sammy, wanna join me?"

From below a nervous looking man with glasses called back, "Samantha! As your manager I feel that-"

"Sure," she said smiling and taking the man's hand. Running towards the edge they both jumped together, yelling happily as they landed.

Lexi raised an eyebrow at the two, "If you're done being children there's a freaked out manager over there about to rip his lip off."

Sammy giggled, "Okay Alexandra," standing up she quickly ran past the twins who were running towards the second set of twins, "Coming George!"

"Your towel"

"And water"

Alex stood, "You guys are taking your jobs pretty seriously huh?" he grinned taking the items.

Hikaru nodded, "They said"

"We could only"

"Be on the set if we helped," they finished.

Lexi flipped her hair, "Do you two ever get tired of speaking that way? 'Lex and I stopped two years ago."

Hikaru shrugged, "Well we are two years younger than you."

"Which is why you should stop," she declared.

He frowned "And if we don't want to?"

She raised one arched eyebrow, her look challenging.

Alex stepped in between them, "Hey Hikaru, why don't we go mess with Sammy's manager again? Maybe this time we can finally get him to admit he likes her."

The lighter redhead grinned, "I've got just the plan too."

Karou sighed at his brother who had run off before turning to Lexi, "You're lucky you're the older twin."

She continued to watch as their twins shamelessly flirted with the blonde actress, visibly upsetting the young manager, "Oh, he's not the younger twin. I am."

A surprised look graced his features, "But, in the movie-"

"My character is much more dominate than Alex's is she not?"

He felt confused at the sudden change in subject, "Uhh, yes?"

"In order to give her a sense of psychotic control over her brother as well as giving Damien a reason to feel conflicted about defying her orders it was decided she would be the older twin."

"But she's only a few minutes, older. It's not like she was such an older twin that she could boss him around all his life."

Lexi sighed, "Okay, let's look at it this way; you're the younger twin, right?"

"Yes"

She nodded, "Now then, has there ever been a time where Hikaru claimed he should get something first or he should be first to decide something or even something as insignificant as going through the door first simply because he was born a few minutes earlier?"

"Yes?" Hikaru answered.

Lexi continued, "And have you ever agreed because some small part inside you understood that logic?"

Karou raised an eyebrow, not sure where she was going with this, "Yes, yes, and yes."

Blue eyes stared into his as she took out her contacts, "Now think, what if, over hundreds of years of existence, Hikaru constantly reinforced this illogical way of thinking onto you? That everything he's ever received, done, or earned should always be just a little bit better because he happened to be born a couple of minutes earlier? Next thing you know, you believe that he is superior, that he is better, that his life happens to be worth more than yours all because of those tiny, insignificant minutes. A person who's had this constantly beaten into them their entire life would believe betrayal to be the utmost sin a person could do to the one who's life matters more than theirs does. This is why Damien has such a hard time disobeying Venus and siding with the one he loves in the beginning. Even now, in the middle of the story, the thought of killing his sister makes him violently ill, enough to the point of doubting every choice he made up to the eventual decision which will be: to side with the humans and his beloved, or giving everything for the one person who has stuck by his side and taken all the pain from their father? He is also the one who trained them to be coldblooded killing machines in their quest to rule the world. She, who took every punishment, claimed every mistake ever made was her own, just so long as she could save her brother from being hurt. And yet in the end, these selfless deeds turned her into the cruel and twisted being she is today. He simply wishes for his sister back, when deep down, he knows she is far too gone."

Karou blinked, "That's…brilliant. When you say it like that it makes sense, though subconsciously I feel like I already understood that."

Once her point was made, the young woman seemed bored again, "Of course it's brilliant. I came up with the idea."

"You did?"

"Mhmm," she replied, "At first the director wanted Damien to be older and have Venus have an almost incestuous brother complex but to me that wouldn't make sense to the overall plot. If Venus was obsessed with her brother almost to the point of love, wouldn't it make her less likely to object with his decisions? Also, if Damien had that kind of control over her, why would she stay under the delusion her father forced her to believe before she died? She wouldn't because she wouldn't want to do anything against her brother's wishes and there would be no ending battle where Damien has to choose between his love and his sister because she has no control over him. Simple psychology if you ask me."

The younger boy smiled at her, "You're pretty smart. No wonder you were a lawyer before you started acting."

She smirked, "I still am. I only took this job because the twin they had in mind for Alex was incompetent, and if my brother plans of pursuing this silly profession then I will not let another's bad acting inhibit any chance he has."

"So you don't like acting?"

Lexi shrugged, "I admit, it has its perks, but it's such a frivolous career. Alex could do so much better with his talents. Acting is full of people who lie and cheat to get what they want."

"And lawyering isn't?" Karou muttered.

Her gaze snapped to his and for a moment he remembered who he was talking to, "O-oh, I'm sorry!"

With her frown still in place, amusement hid in her eyes. Though he was only a few inches shorter, she patted his head as if he were a child, "You're okay."

"Lexi!" Alex called, "Want a ride with us?"

"Oh yes," she said quietly, "You're staying with my brother and his…Donnie. How are they?" After a few moments she raised her eyebrow, "Well?"

"F-fine, I guess," he answered, "Hikaru and I are having a blast here."

"Interesting," said the lovely actress, "I'll see you around."

Alex ran towards Karou, "Where'd she go? Is she coming back…? Dude, you okay?"

"I'm…she…"

A look of understanding crossed his features. Throwing an arm around the shorter boy Alex sighed, "Look man, I know I should've said this earlier, but I wouldn't hang around her if I were you."

Karou looked up, "Why not?"

"Well…don't get me wrong, you're a great guy and I love my sister, but she's not really a loving person to anyone other than close family. Hell, her manager adores her because she never has to worry about 'Lex. Basically, she's strictly work oriented, and anyone who's ever thought otherwise got their ass kicked from here to China. And that's by her, not me."

Suddenly a yell could be heard behind them, "THAT'S IT! WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?!"

"Ah, jeez. He really doesn't know when to let up does he?" Alex shook his head with a smile, "HEY GEORGE! "

Karou turned to walk with him but kept his eyes on the last spot he saw Lexi.

Mori felt exhausted but wonderfully so. In an attempt to sit up he winced painfully, feeling the bruises and scars from the night before. He blushed a little, remembering the details before sitting up.

Unexpectedly he heard a gasp. Opening his eyes he was surprised to see one of the maids staring at him, her eyes wide with a light pink on her cheeks. Hurriedly she stammered, "I-I apologize! I thought you already left for the day! It isn't like you to sleep in. O-oh, but I mean no offense but-"

She was cut off as the figure lying next to him began to stir. Nina stretched with a cat-like yawn, her body lightly battered a bruised but still beautiful. Blinking her eyes open she gave Mori a quick kiss, "Morning Sweetie."

Mori watched as shock crossed the maid's features. Immediately he tried to think of something, anything that could remedy the situation but felt his stomach twist with worry.

Which made the next moment a complete shock.

Nina smiled in amusement, her eyes slitted as she spoke in surprisingly accurate Japanese, "Hello again."

Mori turned to her in confusion. The maid looked equally concerned, "H-have we met before?"

"Maybe not in the conventional way," she continued in a flawless accent as she crawled over the young man, her cream colored body sliding into view, "But I've seen you before, and I certainly know you've seen me as well."

Suddenly a look of realization dawned on the girl, "I-I-…"she swallowed hard, "Y-you saw? "

Nina grinned slyly, "So you do remember? Then again I would assume you remembered all throughout the night, am I correct?" she said walking closer.

Mori brought his legs to the side of the bed so they touched the floor but still kept himself covered with the sheet, "What are you talking about?"

Nina ignored his comment as her naked body hovered above the girl's, who was flat against the door, "Why don't you tell him exactly what happened last night? I'm sure you've been thinking about it all day. Enlighten the poor man."

_***Flashback_

"_-s__he grinned a sharp grin, "Now it's my turn."_

_With a surprising shove Nina forced the man onto the floor while she stood, "Lie on your back," she commanded._

_His eyes glinted as he did what he was told, but sat up on his elbows so he could look at her lovely form._

_"Stay," she ordered. To his amazement Nina had leaned against the wall and brought her right hand down to massage her clit and lips while her other hand cupped her breast. With one foot against the wall and the other against the floor Nina hid nothing as she worked her body back to the lust filled passion she had a moment ago._

_Rolling her head to the left, Nina had her eyes open just enough to see a figure looking through a small portion of the open door; A pretty, young maid with long brown hair and blue eyes, who seemed to be fidgeting and panting as much as Nina. _

_Nina grinned to herself and decided to put on a show. Once she was finished preparing she turned her attention back to Mori. Emerald green eyes met his half lidded gaze, "Take them off."_

***Present Time

Mori didn't know what to make of this but thankfully Nina seemed to have a handle on things. The girl's blush and panting increased as Nina drew closer but still hadn't touched her. In a calm, seductive voice she continued, "Now then, I allowed last night to slip by and even let you see a little more than what you deserved, but you don't want word getting around about your little tendency to peep, am I right?"

She slowly shook her head, her eyes never leaving Nina's.

The redhead spoke in her quiet, almost too sweet voice, "Then there will be no punishment for now, but our little late night adventure shall stay between us until I say otherwise. Is that understood?"

The brunette shook and said in a whisper, "Y-yes."

"Good," she murmured, finally bringing her hand up to lightly graze the maid's cheek, eliciting a gasp, "Now then, what is your name?"

"A-ayumi?" she said it as if it were a question.

"Ayumi," Nina smiled demurely, "What a pretty name. From now on, as long as I am here and for whenever I visit you are to be the only one who waits on us. You are to tell the others that Takashi has a frequent reappearing and disappearing cold, but not to worry as you are sturdy enough to wait on him whenever these little bouts return. Is that understood?"

"Yes M-madam," the girl replied.

Nina's cheerful demeanor returned as she took a step back, "Good! Now then, he and I would appreciate a nice meal to get us started for the day."

"Yes Madam!" she replied before bowing and almost bolting out the door.

The moment it closed Nina's knees quickly buckled.

"Nina!" Mori said frantically collecting her in his arms.

She flinched as he carried her to the bed, "The price of good sex," she muttered before shooting a glare at her lover, "So then, who is she?"

He blinked in surprise, "No one. She is a maid and nothing more. I did not even know her name before now."

"Not her," Nina snapped as he climbed back into bed, "I meant who was the last girl you brought in here?"

Mori couldn't believe what she was saying, "I have brought no one into my bed. You are the first."

"Well then, you must've spent the night in someone else's bed then," when confusion was still evident on his face Nina huffed, "Okay, last night was some of the best, no, THE best sex of my life."

Mori couldn't help the little grin that appeared on his face.

She continued unaware, "But there is no virgin in the world that could pull off what you did last night without having some form of experience."

At this statement he grew still. An uncomfortable silence followed as Nina felt her suspicion confirm. She sighed, "Look, I have nothing against you. I wasn't a virgin either but I feel I have to ask. You just seem like a 'one woman' type of guy so it made me curious."

When she looked at him again she was surprised to see an intense blush reach his ears and fade down his neck, "Wow, are you okay?"

He nodded but stayed silent for a long time. Finally he managed to say, "I prepared."

Nina raised an eyebrow, "You what?"

He put a hand over his face, "After the Snow Festival, I heard what you said about wanting…to…"

Suddenly it dawned on her. She giggled at his innocence, "Oh! You heard that huh? Well I was only being honest."

After a few more moments of silence he continued, "A few days later I asked Ame about your…preference."

Nina laughed as she imagined the tall, shy man attempting to talk to her best friend about her preference in sex, "Oh you poor thing."

Once she was done laughing at his expense he tried again, "She told me you aren't the gentle type and gave me some advice. I wanted to please you so-"

Emerald eyes melted, along with her heart, "Oh you lovable idiot. You didn't have traumatize yourself just to make me happy."

Dark eyes finally met hers, "I always want to make you happy."

She quickly kissed him, warmth spreading through her, "You know, I think I made the right choice with you."

Mori let out a breath, glad to get the embarrassment behind them, "When did you learn how to speak Japanese so well?"

"Well, I wanted to surprise you but I didn't know if the maid spoke English. I've been talking to Donnie who's being taught by Alex so I've been getting a lot better."

"Oh," he replied, "You handled the situation very well."

"Thanks," Nina answered as she snuggled into the covers, "Well, believe it or not, I used to have a girlfriend just like her who liked the whole 'in charge versus the submissive' thing."

His eyebrows shot up, causing a worried look to cross her face, "I've always been ambiguous. For me I just date whoever I feel comfortable with and whoever makes me happy. To me, there's no difference in genders. Does that bother you?"

He thought for a moment before shaking his head, "No, but this is all new to me."

She laughed, "The price of being with a foreigner. You get to learn all kinds of things."

Mori nodded, feeling no truer words were ever spoken.

Nina suddenly giggled, "Now then, shall we continue where we left off until breakfast arrives?"

His eyes glittered dangerously at her words as he leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Later that evenining a very satisfied young woman walked through the door of _Faye Flora~_ with a bright smile on her face while wearing her Christmas outfit, "Oh Ame! I have great news to share with you!"

"You too huh?"

Her voice made the redhead jump as she turned to look at the little table, "Oh hey, there you are! So listen-"

"You had sex."

"We had sex!" she yelled happily throwing her hands in the air while plopping down on the little chair, "I tell ya, I haven't felt this great since I found out I had a twin brother!"

Ame smiled weakly, "I'm happy for you."

The girl raised her eyebrow, "What gives? By this point you're usually asking me all about- wait a minute. I remember you left with Kyoya the last time I saw you. He crash here again last night?"

"Sort of," Ame said rubbing her temples, "We had sex."

"WHAT?!" the redhead yelled, "How in the hell did that happen?! Start from the beginning."

"Well," she said glancing sideways, "From what I remember-"

"From what you remember?!" Nina said shocked, "Did he do something to you? Did he drug you?" She crossed the room to the reach under the counter. Gun in hand she started towards the door.

"Nina! What the hell?"

"That skinny ass Japanese bastard thinks he can take advantage of my best friend? He's got another thing coming!"

"Well that doesn't mean you can shoot him!" she snapped.

"He's gonna get more than a few bullets in his ass," Nina snarled, "I will pistol whip that bitch so hard-"

"Nina! For god's sake! Just listen to me! Sit down!"

After a minute she sat cross-legged on the chair, "So what happened then?"

Ame narrowed her eyes, "As I was saying; last night Kyoya and I came back here to get him changed and to have some tea."

"Go on."

She sighed, "Well, He had an extra business suit here so while he was changing I made tea, but after a while my throat started feeling sore so I decided to drink orange juice."

Nina suddenly began to feel nervous, "T-the orange juice from the fridge?"

Violet eyes bored into hers, "Well I certainly didn't accept any from the freaking orange juice fairy. I also didn't expect what I thought was my competent roommate to forget my strict orders about _labeling which containers you put liquor in_! I got so smashed on mimosas that I couldn't even think straight. I don't even remember anything that happened last night except for what Kyoya told me and the little bit I remembered in the morning."

"And he told you you had sex?" Nina questioned.

She shook her head, "No. I remembered spilling the juice on him when he tried to take it away, then the power went out. We were freezing and since he had nothing else to change into but a vomit covered reindeer costume I offered to get naked and huddle together."

"And then you had sex."

"No!" Ame snapped, "I'm getting to that. Just let me finish. I don't really remember what happened after that but this morning I woke up on the couch completely naked with Kyoya- shut up."

Nina had opened her mouth but closed it again. After pouting a little she said, "That's not what I was gonna say."

"Fine. What were you going to say then?"

"…was he huge?"

"_Anyway_," Ame continued, "I checked myself from top to bottom just to make sure he was telling the truth and bits and pieces of it started to come back. Things were awkward as hell after that…but then something happened," the look in her eyes became far away.

_***Flashback_

_"I promise I would never do something so heinous. Besides, I'd rather not have my last vision on this Earth be of your father crushing my windpipe," Kyoya said with his back turned to her._

_"Well, still. You can't blame me for being careful," she said anxiously clutching the blanket closer to her body._

_ He spoke again, "I swear to you, the most I did was place you on the couch and cover you with the blanket which I made sure was kept between us."_

_Ame blushed, "So, I took off my own clothes then?"_

_He nodded very slowly, "You seemed desperate to get rid of them before you passed out."_

_"Oh…s-sorry," she looked around, "Um, I'm gonna go get some clothes on. Keep your head turned," she quickly stood and ran to her bedroom door. With the heat turned back on and going full force she hurriedly threw on a bra, panties, some black shorts and a small black shirt. Taking a quick peek out the door to make sure he was still covered she reentered the living room, "Um, I'm not sure if we have anymore clothes for you to wear."_

_Kyoya glanced at her, "My clothes are downstairs in the dryer. They were washed last night."_

_"I'll get them," she said heading downstairs. Once she grabbed the clothes from the dryer she took her time going upstairs, still in shock about the previous night's events._

_Upon reaching the top of the stairs she noticed he wasn't on the couch. She walked further in, "Kyoya? Kyo-"_

_Standing in front of the fridge was the tall boy, a towel slung about his hips. He turned and closed the fridge door when he heard her call, "You took a while coming back so I borrowed a towel…Ame?"_

_She snapped out of her gaze which was currently following the smooth lines of his body, "O-oh, sorry. Yeah, that's okay. Here," she walked closer with the bundle of cloth in her hands._

_Kyoya gave her a small smile as he took the small pile, "Thank you."_

_Ame blinked, "Y-you're welcome."_

_He began to walk past her when Ame noticed the corner of his towel was caught in the fridge. She spun around, "Kyoya, you-!"_

_But it had already slipped off. He turned in surprise but accidentally dropped the clothes when he realized he was naked. Instead of picking those back up he reached for the towel but unfortunately tripped over the dropped suit until his body was pressed directly up against Ame's, who had become pressed against the fridge._

_Neither looked down, their eyes locked onto the other's. Ame felt knots twist in her stomach._

_Kyoya continued to stare, at the ceiling, at her eyes, and occasionally glancing at her lips._

_Testing the waters she began to lean forward only to be surprised by his lips pressing against hers. She gripped onto him until nothing in the world mattered anymore except for his kiss and touch._

_A little while later the two found themselves in Ame's room. Sounds of passion could be heard as Ame cried out in ecstasy, Kyoya pumping his need directly inside of her._

"We pretty much spent the whole day having sex like we were possessed or something," Ame said tiredly, "He actually only left a little while ago because he has to prepare some things for his Dad. He comes back first thing in the morning."

"Wow," Nina said quietly, "So, what are you going to do? Are you guys going out now or what?"

"I don't know, but that's not even the worst part."

"Oh god, what now?"

"Well, last night he said something."

When she didn't continue Nina began hopping up and down, "Well? What did he say?"

Ame looked into anxious green eyes.

"He said he loved me."

* * *

Kyoya rubbed his temples. In an effort to stay awake he busied himself with every possible detail of work he might've overlooked before his father returned tomorrow which was the day before Christmas Eve. It also reminded him that he had to get the girls and the Host Members Christmas presents. The twins were spending their holiday in New York, Tamaki and Haruhi in Hokkaido with Haruhi's father for some reason or other, and he, Mori, and Honey were to spend Christmas at _Faye Flora~_ with Nina and Ame.

_'Ame,'_ he thought to himself. The night before he made love to the most beautiful and wonderful girl he had ever met and even told her he loved her. After finally admitting it it was as if a whole new world was opened up to him; not that he was skipping down hallways or anything, but he had been in a wonderfull stress-free mood.

That is, until late afternoon came.

He had finished all of his errands and anything else he needed to do until the next day. Walking down the hallway he heard two maids chatting amongst themselves.

"-_to surprise Kyoya-sama!"_

He stopped. Normally he wouldn't care for the chatting of those he considered unimportant but upon hearing his name he stayed and listened.

_"A surprise? What could he be bringing that the young master doesn't already have?"_

_"Well, I wouldn't spread this around, but there's word that after Mr. Ootori finished his work he went elsewhere to meet a very, very,_ VERY_ rich_ _lady friend of his._

_"So, what does this have to do with the young Master?"_

_"Well, from what I've been told, this rich lady has a beautiful young daughter almost the exact same age as our Kyoya!"_

_"Wait, you don't mean..."_

_"That's right! Mr. Ootori has found his son a bride!"_

Kyoya sucked in a large, sharp breath.

_'I am to be...betrothed...'_

* * *

**_DUN DUN FREAKING DUN! Thought I'd surprise everyone with an earlier chapter update considering how much time has passed since my new chapter managed to get posted. Anyway, thank you all for reading. I really appreciate the reviews, favorites, and everything else I've been told about this story from people on here. Though, out of over 4300 people who have read this, only 29 of you reviewed, though I guess I should count in those who have looked at it multiple times. Anyway, I would really really appreciate more reviews on my last chapter and this one. I really want to know what you all think of it so far. The more reviews, the faster the updating also._**

**_I've finally left you all an actual cliffhanger and also, more bad news, the story is beginning to draw to a close. HOWEVER! That doesn't quite mean the end. Depending on your thoughts of the end there may be an unlikely sequal but I will mention more on that in the final chapter. One thing I would like to add however is, I have a rough draft file documenting the story of Donnie and Alex and I am very much considering doing more with it when this story is over. If you're curious about their lives and how they met (It's too long a story and would be too much of a filler to put in here), send me a message saying you'll read it and I will post it as a 'technical sequal' or I guess 'prologue' but most likely a sequal to the story. _**

**_Send me your opinions and choices and please, be sure to review. Thank you!_**


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